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

😐 Solo nomad: Lima is 2.6% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 3.1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lima is 0.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 5.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.06 PEN 13.92
$6.14 COP 22.1K
-33.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.74 PEN 112
$33.05 COP 119.0K
-0.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.77 PEN 23.24
$7.32 COP 26.4K
-7.51%
Cappuccino
$2.66 PEN 9.12
$1.66 COP 5,972
60.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 PEN 3.41
$1.10 COP 3,977
-9.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 PEN 2.12
$0.78 COP 2,815
-20.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.24 PEN 7.68
$1.71 COP 6,173
30.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 PEN 13.60
$3.17 COP 11.4K
24.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 PEN 4.84
$1.11 COP 4,002
27.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 PEN 9.20
$1.31 COP 4,708
104.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 PEN 4.47
$1.38 COP 4,968
-5.80%
Eggs
$2.82 PEN 9.69
$2.22 COP 7,989
27.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.16 PEN 28.00
$4.34 COP 15.6K
88.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.64 PEN 19.34
$5.80 COP 20.9K
-2.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.46 PEN 35.87
$8.98 COP 32.3K
16.48%
Apples (1kg)
$1.97 PEN 6.76
$2.26 COP 8,144
-12.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.13 PEN 3.87
$1.11 COP 4,013
1.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.11 PEN 3.80
$1.46 COP 5,271
-23.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 PEN 4.31
$1.37 COP 4,917
-8.03%
Potato (1kg)
$0.98 PEN 3.38
$1.11 COP 3,999
-11.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 PEN 3.47
$1.16 COP 4,189
-12.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.82 PEN 2.82
$0.89 COP 3,203
-7.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 PEN 3.16
$0.87 COP 3,116
5.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.68 PEN 19.48
$2.35 COP 8,474
141.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.13 PEN 31.31
$10.86 COP 39.1K
-15.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 PEN 6.02
$1.20 COP 4,319
45.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 PEN 10.50
$2.48 COP 8,924
23.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 PEN 2.31
$0.79 COP 2,835
-15.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.60 PEN 105
$40.77 COP 146.8K
-24.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.40 PEN 11.67
$1.42 COP 5,124
139.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 PEN 7.39
$1.91 COP 6,883
12.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 PEN 29.06
$7.65 COP 27.5K
10.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 PEN 4.46
$0.97 COP 3,481
34.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K PEN 65.6K
$18.1K COP 65.2M
5.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K PEN 82.6K
$26.3K COP 94.7M
-8.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.8 PEN 195
$81.3 COP 292.8K
-30.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.48 PEN 42.81
$9.63 COP 34.7K
29.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.06 PEN 82.5
$24.36 COP 87.7K
-1.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.89 PEN 106
$26.02 COP 93.7K
18.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 PEN 64.1
$18.92 COP 68.1K
-1.22%
Cinema Ticket
$7.03 PEN 24.10
$3.89 COP 14.0K
80.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$215 PEN 738
$304 COP 1.1M
-29.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,835 PEN 26.9K
$5,902 COP 21.3M
32.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.89 PEN 171
$58.7 COP 211.3K
-14.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.74 PEN 123
$32.48 COP 117.0K
10.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.7 PEN 311
$102 COP 366.4K
-10.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.7 PEN 301
$108 COP 389.5K
-18.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 PEN 2,070
$474 COP 1.7M
27.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$351 PEN 1,203
$371 COP 1.3M
-5.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 PEN 3,528
$848 COP 3.1M
21.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$637 PEN 2,183
$716 COP 2.6M
-11.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,252 PEN 7,725
$2,871 COP 10.3M
-21.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,344 PEN 4,609
$1,375 COP 5.0M
-2.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$649 PEN 2,226
$542 COP 1.9M
19.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.11
13.43
-24.72%

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

Last update for Lima: April 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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