Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima 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 and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Lima $1,012
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Lima $1,589
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Lima $2,167
Medellin $3,190

Living in Lima costs roughly 37% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-44.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-23.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-27.47%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.11 COP 9,866

4.82%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.83 COP 5,800

-38.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.38 COP 4,360

-55.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.05 COP 9,672

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.45 COP 4,600

12.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.36 COP 7,496

8.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.68 COP 5,328

-19.64%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.86 COP 9,077

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-13.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-37.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-30.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-49.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.50 COP 4,742

-29.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.17 COP 6,891

-37.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.31 COP 7,310

-35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.93 COP 6,113

-54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.64 COP 5,196

-43.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.13 COP 3,571

-21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.25 COP 3,954

-28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$3.99 COP 12.6K

47.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-36.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.70 COP 5,384

10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.37 COP 7,525

35.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.21 COP 3,827

-43.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-64.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.32 COP 4,179

188.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$2.14 COP 6,774

-5.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-16.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.30 COP 4,114

32.31%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-20.29%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.98%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$172 COP 545.6K

-57.54%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$13.37 COP 42.4K

22.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-29.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$17.04 COP 54.0K

13.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$6.28 COP 19.9K

12.26%

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

$182 PEN 627

$770 COP 2.4M

-76.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

44.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-37.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-39.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$137 COP 432.9K

-39.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-31.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$616 COP 2.0M

-44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-35.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-36.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-40.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-19.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$652 COP 2.1M

-0.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.94

-18.28%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 79.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 30.4% $69

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 35.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 83.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 51.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 25.6% $12

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 115% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 1% 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: $35.00 in Lima vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $295 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Medellin 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
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 vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Medellin differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,614 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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.

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