Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Livingston versus $1,017 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in Livingston versus $1,602 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,562 in Livingston versus $2,188 in Medellin.

Living in Livingston is roughly 117% more expensive than Medellin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Livingston is 64% above, Medellin is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 £15.14

$5.95 COP 20.8K

242.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 £70.6

$33.33 COP 116.3K

184.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 £7.37

$7.23 COP 25.2K

37.07%

Cappuccino

$4.86 £3.61

$1.63 COP 5,687

198.16%

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

$2.74 £2.04

$1.09 COP 3,821

151.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.63

$0.73 COP 2,548

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 £5.19

$1.74 COP 6,065

301.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.02

$3.23 COP 11.3K

109.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.05 COP 3,662

62.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.29 COP 4,515

34.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 £1.59

$1.32 COP 4,617

62.12%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.68

$2.27 COP 7,927

58.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 £8.03

$4.35 COP 15.2K

148.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 £6.78

$5.88 COP 20.5K

55.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 £12.22

$8.61 COP 30.0K

90.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.33

$2.25 COP 7,844

39.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.07 COP 3,733

53.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.93

$1.52 COP 5,322

71.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 £2.77

$1.42 COP 4,964

162.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$1.17 COP 4,084

50.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.17 COP 4,077

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.85

$0.89 COP 3,096

28.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.28

$0.90 COP 3,146

92.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.00 £14.13

$2.25 COP 7,837

744.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 £8.00

$11.04 COP 38.5K

-2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.92

$1.14 COP 3,977

127.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 £2.50

$2.38 COP 8,301

41.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.24 £2.41

$0.84 COP 2,916

285.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.6 £56.9

$41.95 COP 146.4K

82.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.95

$1.41 COP 4,912

276.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.90 COP 6,634

-33.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.37 £16.63

$7.75 COP 27.0K

188.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.01 COP 3,509

97.03%

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

$39.0K £29.0K

$17.6K COP 61.4M

121.66%

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

$39.9K £29.6K

$26.5K COP 92.5M

50.47%

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

$385 £286

$83.7 COP 292.1K

360.29%

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

$17.70 £13.16

$9.45 COP 33.0K

87.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.03 £33.48

$24.11 COP 84.1K

86.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 £44.93

$25.31 COP 88.3K

138.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.88 £25.19

$19.14 COP 66.8K

77.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 £8.05

$4.10 COP 14.3K

163.90%

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

$1,254 £933

$312 COP 1.1M

302.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K £13.6K

$5,993 COP 20.9M

205.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 £79.9

$58.0 COP 202.6K

85.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 £40.73

$32.56 COP 113.6K

68.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £85.5

$99.6 COP 347.7K

15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 £61.6

$109 COP 378.8K

-23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 £653

$482 COP 1.7M

82.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 £583

$379 COP 1.3M

106.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 £1,457

$837 COP 2.9M

134.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 £1,157

$723 COP 2.5M

115.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,840 COP 9.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,223 COP 4.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,491 £2,596

$541 COP 1.9M

545.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

13.43

-57.56%

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

Last update for Livingston: June 7, 2026

Last update for Medellin: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $879 in Livingston and $482 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 546% 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: $95.0 in Livingston vs $33.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $190 per month, with Medellin 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

Livingston vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 117% lower than in Livingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Livingston pays 546% more on average, 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: $879 in Livingston versus $482 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,254 in Livingston versus $312 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Livingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,017 in Medellin versus $2,206 in Livingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Livingston. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,017 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.