Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,016 in Lima versus $1,716 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,623 in Lima versus $2,527 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,229 in Lima versus $3,338 in Medellin.

Living in Lima costs roughly 41% less than in Medellin, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 PEN 14.63

$8.03 COP 25.2K

-45.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 PEN 108

$48.26 COP 151.7K

-33.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 PEN 23.65

$9.77 COP 30.7K

-28.05%

Cappuccino

$3.23 PEN 10.87

$2.91 COP 9,149

11.00%

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

$1.13 PEN 3.81

$1.94 COP 6,110

-41.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.08

$1.52 COP 4,783

-59.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 PEN 9.02

$3.09 COP 9,721

-13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 PEN 15.24

$5.74 COP 18.1K

-21.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.51

$1.36 COP 4,287

20.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 PEN 8.75

$2.39 COP 7,505

8.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.51

$1.70 COP 5,346

-21.18%

Eggs

$3.05 PEN 10.27

$2.87 COP 9,021

6.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 PEN 30.31

$9.94 COP 31.2K

-9.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 PEN 19.93

$10.78 COP 33.9K

-44.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.80 PEN 32.97

$14.73 COP 46.3K

-33.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 PEN 7.05

$4.09 COP 12.8K

-48.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 PEN 3.54

$1.57 COP 4,940

-33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.89

$2.13 COP 6,682

-31.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.04

$2.21 COP 6,959

-32.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 PEN 3.11

$2.05 COP 6,435

-54.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 PEN 3.17

$1.50 COP 4,728

-37.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.01

$1.19 COP 3,740

-25.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 PEN 3.20

$1.16 COP 3,640

-18.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.82 PEN 19.56

$3.90 COP 12.2K

49.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 PEN 30.35

$14.44 COP 45.4K

-37.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 PEN 6.52

$1.58 COP 4,978

22.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 PEN 10.85

$2.83 COP 8,889

14.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 PEN 2.31

$1.17 COP 3,672

-41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.19 PEN 91.5

$77.7 COP 244.3K

-65.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 PEN 13.11

$1.28 COP 4,038

204.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 PEN 6.83

$2.09 COP 6,576

-2.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 PEN 25.05

$8.62 COP 27.1K

-13.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.77

$1.30 COP 4,080

31.54%

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

$22.2K PEN 74.6K

$27.7K COP 86.9M

-19.76%

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

$26.7K PEN 89.9K

$35.5K COP 111.6M

-24.73%

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

$71.1 PEN 239

$176 COP 553.4K

-59.64%

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

$16.93 PEN 56.9

$13.37 COP 42.0K

26.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 PEN 95.2

$29.89 COP 94.0K

-5.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.80 PEN 114

$44.76 COP 140.7K

-24.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.96 PEN 67.2

$17.06 COP 53.6K

17.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 PEN 24.30

$6.20 COP 19.5K

16.61%

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

$181 PEN 608

$793 COP 2.5M

-77.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K PEN 45.2K

$9,019 COP 28.4M

49.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 PEN 182

$85.6 COP 269.1K

-36.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.57 PEN 120

$58.5 COP 183.8K

-39.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 PEN 289

$136 COP 428.4K

-37.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 PEN 273

$103 COP 324.1K

-21.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 PEN 2,551

$1,060 COP 3.3M

-28.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 PEN 1,165

$680 COP 2.1M

-49.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 PEN 4,218

$2,012 COP 6.3M

-37.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 PEN 2,172

$1,169 COP 3.7M

-44.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,479 PEN 8,338

$4,111 COP 12.9M

-39.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,391 PEN 4,678

$1,701 COP 5.3M

-18.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$669 PEN 2,249

$665 COP 2.1M

0.51%

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: August 30, 2026

Last update for Medellin: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $759 in Lima and $1,060 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Lima vs $48.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $303 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

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 69% in total monthly costs ($1,016 vs $1,716 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Lima, 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: $759 in Lima versus $1,060 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $181 in Lima versus $793 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,016 in Lima versus $1,716 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 69% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.