Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lome and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lome: $560 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lome

🇹🇬 Togo

$560

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $560 in Lome versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Lome $560
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $992 in Lome versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Lome $992
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,424 in Lome versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Lome $1,424
Medellin $3,186

Living in Lome costs roughly 66% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lome is 59% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 F CFA 1,683

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-64.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.57 F CFA 18.0K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-35.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 F CFA 3,250

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-41.89%

Cappuccino

$5.74 F CFA 3,382

$3.01 COP 9,485

90.70%

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

$4.14 F CFA 2,436

$1.80 COP 5,660

130.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 F CFA 445

$1.41 COP 4,443

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 F CFA 527

$3.18 COP 9,990

-71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 F CFA 1,019

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-69.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 F CFA 1,355

$1.51 COP 4,751

52.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 F CFA 764

$2.38 COP 7,480

-45.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 F CFA 874

$1.77 COP 5,573

-16.38%

Eggs

$1.96 F CFA 1,156

$2.89 COP 9,093

-32.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.49 F CFA 3,230

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-60.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 F CFA 1,787

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 F CFA 1,017

$1.55 COP 4,883

11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 F CFA 1,529

$2.18 COP 6,870

19.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 F CFA 1,025

$1.96 COP 6,174

-11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 F CFA 717

$1.59 COP 5,000

-23.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 F CFA 492

$1.24 COP 3,911

-32.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 F CFA 2,769

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-65.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 F CFA 668

$1.66 COP 5,221

-31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 F CFA 832

$2.26 COP 7,103

-37.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 F CFA 691

$2.05 COP 6,442

-42.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.35 F CFA 2,560

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-49.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 F CFA 707

$1.35 COP 4,237

-11.11%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

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

$146 F CFA 86.1K

$170 COP 533.7K

-13.85%

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

$20.99 F CFA 12.4K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

54.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.24 F CFA 24.9K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

50.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 F CFA 35.4K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

37.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.71 F CFA 5,127

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-49.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 F CFA 2,540

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-37.63%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 F CFA 708.3K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-40.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 F CFA 173.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-70.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$295 F CFA 173.8K

$657 COP 2.1M

-55.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Lome: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lome

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Lome

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lome

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Lome

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Lome

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Lome

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Lome

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays about 2.2 times 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: $31 in Lome vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $140 vs $297 per month, with Lome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇬 Lome

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

5 h behind Lome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

837,437 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lome Medellin 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lome
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

Lome vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lome wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Lome. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you’ll spend $560 per month in Lome versus $1,639 in Medellin – Lome is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $560 in Lome versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Lome but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Lome 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lome wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.