Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima, OH and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,594 in Lima, OH, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lima, OH
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Lima, OH Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lima, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,594

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima, OH and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lima, OH and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Lima, OH versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Lima, OH $2,594
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,690 in Lima, OH versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Lima, OH $3,690
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,785 in Lima, OH versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Lima, OH $4,785
Medellin $3,199

Living in Lima, OH is roughly 60% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lima, OH 91% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$8.30 COP 26.3K

168.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 $77.3

$46.91 COP 148.7K

64.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$9.24 COP 29.3K

31.71%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.05 COP 9,676

81.31%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.80 COP 5,707

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.38 COP 4,382

47.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.24 COP 10.3K

84.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$5.56 COP 17.6K

25.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.50 COP 4,760

-63.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.37 COP 7,508

34.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.70 COP 5,377

215.29%

Eggs

$3.02 $3.02

$2.96 COP 9,379

2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-14.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$9.74 COP 30.9K

50.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$13.90 COP 44.1K

14.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.13 COP 13.1K

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.53 COP 4,839

-26.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.22 COP 7,052

104.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.27 COP 7,194

93.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.99 COP 6,311

13.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.67 COP 5,285

32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.18 COP 3,742

65.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.24 COP 3,919

63.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.99 $9.99

$3.87 COP 12.3K

158.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 $16.61

$13.78 COP 43.7K

20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.66 COP 5,256

30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.40 COP 7,615

-14.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.24 COP 3,944

58.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 $42.37

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-45.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.28 COP 4,044

131.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.15 COP 6,803

-42.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.59 $26.59

$8.37 COP 26.5K

217.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.35 COP 4,288

-37.04%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.7K $30.7K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-11.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.7K $23.7K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-31.65%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$225 $225

$167 COP 528.4K

35.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$13.62 COP 43.2K

398.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$29.12 COP 92.3K

129.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.23 $42.23

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-6.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.94 $47.94

$17.18 COP 54.5K

179.05%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 $13.05

$6.97 COP 22.1K

87.23%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,615 $1,615

$790 COP 2.5M

104.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

278.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-42.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 $40.69

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-30.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$139 COP 440.7K

-40.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$98.9 COP 313.5K

11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$1,028 COP 3.3M

24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 $1,257

$620 COP 2.0M

102.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 $2,211

$1,881 COP 6.0M

17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$1,008 COP 3.2M

81.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,393 $1,393

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-65.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,402 $1,402

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-17.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,089 $5,089

$663 COP 2.1M

667.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

10.94

-39.31%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lima, OH: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lima, OH

$1.3K 48.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 50.7% $637

Groceries & Markets

Lima, OH

$378 14.6%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 21.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima, OH

$360 13.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 41.8% $151

Eating Out

Lima, OH

$343 13.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 50.3% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Lima, OH

$128 4.9%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 35.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lima, OH

$68 2.6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 13.6% $9.3

Getting Around

Lima, OH

$59 2.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 60.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,278 in Lima, OH and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima, OH pays 667% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Lima, OH vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lima, OH

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

1 h behind Lima, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,868

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima, OH Medellin 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima, OH
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lima, OH vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima, OH and Medellin differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($2,594 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 667% higher in Lima, OH, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,278 in Lima, OH versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Lima, OH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $77.0 in Lima, OH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,594 in Lima, OH, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lima, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lima, OH and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Lima, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.