Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Loja and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Loja: $681 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Loja
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Loja Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Loja

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$681

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $681 per month in Loja vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Loja $681
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,074 per month in Loja vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Loja $1,074
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,468 per month in Loja vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Loja $1,468
Medellin $3,186

Loja is about 58% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Loja sits 50% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 $3.05

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-62.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.66 $20.66

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-56.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 $5.61

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-40.95%

Cappuccino

$2.22 $2.22

$3.01 COP 9,722

-26.25%

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

$0.78 $0.78

$1.80 COP 5,801

-56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 $0.43

$1.41 COP 4,554

-69.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 $3.23

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-43.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.51 COP 4,869

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.38 COP 7,667

-37.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.77 COP 5,712

-25.42%

Eggs

$1.92 $1.92

$2.89 COP 9,320

-33.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-45.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-56.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-56.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-57.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.55 COP 5,005

-29.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.18 COP 7,039

-44.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.18 COP 7,041

-48.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.96 COP 6,328

-45.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.59 COP 5,125

-35.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.15 COP 3,694

-54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.24 COP 4,009

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 $5.23

$3.96 COP 12.8K

32.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-50.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.66 COP 5,352

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.26 COP 7,281

29.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.17 COP 3,766

-71.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 $30.52

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-60.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.27 COP 4,089

-2.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.05 COP 6,603

-47.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 $9.86

$8.55 COP 27.6K

15.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.35 COP 4,343

-45.19%

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

$15.0K $15.0K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-55.83%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-17.75%

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

$19.98 $19.98

$170 COP 547.0K

-88.22%

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

$11.49 $11.49

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-15.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.07 $27.07

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-3.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.70 $29.70

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-32.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.03 $15.03

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-12.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 $7.26

$6.91 COP 22.3K

5.07%

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

$180 $180

$797 COP 2.6M

-77.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,965 $1,965

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-78.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-37.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.86 $47.86

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-17.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 $79.9

$135 COP 435.2K

-40.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 $73.1

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$240 $240

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-80.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 $172

$642 COP 2.1M

-73.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 $377

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-81.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 $315

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-68.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$559 $559

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-86.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$324 $324

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-83.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 $506

$657 COP 2.1M

-22.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

10.94

-22.30%

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

Last update for Loja: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Loja

$172 25.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 272% $469

Groceries & Markets

Loja

$168 24.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 77.2% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Loja

$114 16.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 48% $55

Eating Out

Loja

$85 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 98.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Loja

$59 8.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 261% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Loja

$44 6.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 30.1% $13

Getting Around

Loja

$38 5.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 143% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $240 in Loja versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Loja versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $297 – making Loja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Loja

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

Same time as Loja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,617

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Loja Medellin 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Loja
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

Loja vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $681 in Loja, $1,639 in Medellin – Loja comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,021 per month in Loja and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Loja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $240 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Loja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $180 per month in Loja and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Loja, where all-in costs run around $681, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Loja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Loja – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Loja. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.