Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,185 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Long Beach, CA $3,185
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Long Beach, CA $4,857
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,529 in Long Beach, CA versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Long Beach, CA $6,529
Medellin $3,199

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 96% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Long Beach, CA 135% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$8.30 COP 26.3K

136.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$46.91 COP 148.7K

67.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.48 $14.48

$9.24 COP 29.3K

56.71%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$3.05 COP 9,676

102.30%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$1.80 COP 5,707

81.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.38 COP 4,382

79.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 $7.46

$3.24 COP 10.3K

130.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 $9.70

$5.56 COP 17.6K

74.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 COP 4,760

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.37 COP 7,508

74.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.70 COP 5,377

173.53%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.96 COP 9,379

56.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$10.22 COP 32.4K

28.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$9.74 COP 30.9K

46.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$13.90 COP 44.1K

9.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$4.13 COP 13.1K

14.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.53 COP 4,839

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.22 COP 7,052

116.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.27 COP 7,194

113.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.99 COP 6,311

73.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.67 COP 5,285

34.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.18 COP 3,742

72.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.24 COP 3,919

47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$3.87 COP 12.3K

198.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$13.78 COP 43.7K

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.66 COP 5,256

16.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.40 COP 7,615

37.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.24 COP 3,944

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 $68.9

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-11.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.28 COP 4,044

128.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.15 COP 6,803

-3.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.25 $28.25

$8.37 COP 26.5K

237.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.35 COP 4,288

14.07%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-17.96%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-25.13%

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

$169 $169

$167 COP 528.4K

1.22%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$13.62 COP 43.2K

386.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$29.12 COP 92.3K

107.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 $39.49

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-12.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$6.97 COP 22.1K

112.91%

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

$1,912 $1,912

$790 COP 2.5M

142.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

299.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-33.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-31.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 $93.9

$139 COP 440.7K

-32.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$98.9 COP 313.5K

43.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,028 COP 3.3M

100.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 $1,813

$620 COP 2.0M

192.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,672 $3,672

$1,881 COP 6.0M

95.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,462 $3,462

$1,008 COP 3.2M

243.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,440 $7,440

$3,988 COP 12.6M

86.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,677 $6,677

$1,702 COP 5.4M

292.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,419 $4,419

$663 COP 2.1M

566.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.94

-41.59%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 56.9%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 65.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$414 13%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 28% $116

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$355 11.1%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 51.8% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$295 9.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 29.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.7%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 14.7% $22

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$89 2.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 6.6% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$69 2.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 14.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,057 in Long Beach, CA and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays 566% 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: $79.0 in Long Beach, CA vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

2 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Long Beach, CA Medellin 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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

Long Beach, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Long Beach, CA and Medellin differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($3,185 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 566% higher in Long Beach, CA, 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: $2,057 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $79.0 in Long Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,185 per month in Long Beach, CA versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Long Beach, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin 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 Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.