Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $32,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,259

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Los Angeles, CA $4,259
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Los Angeles, CA $6,260
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Los Angeles, CA $8,260
Medellin $3,139

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 168% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Angeles, CA 218% above, Medellin 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$8.01 COP 25.5K

237.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$46.55 COP 148.3K

162.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$9.43 COP 30.1K

58.85%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$2.91 COP 9,277

100.69%

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

$3.77 $3.77

$1.75 COP 5,585

115.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.32 COP 4,218

102.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.13 COP 9,969

157.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.55 COP 17.7K

77.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.41 COP 4,495

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.44 COP 7,777

98.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.63 COP 5,191

174.85%

Eggs

$6.14 $6.14

$2.82 COP 8,990

117.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$9.69 COP 30.9K

16.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$9.32 COP 29.7K

69.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.94 $19.94

$13.46 COP 42.9K

48.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$4.00 COP 12.8K

31.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.48 COP 4,719

57.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.12 COP 6,768

121.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.25 COP 7,178

151.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.91 COP 6,092

71.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.62 COP 5,160

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.15 COP 3,658

82.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.26 COP 4,021

93.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 $12.78

$3.82 COP 12.2K

234.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$13.11 COP 41.8K

14.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.60 COP 5,083

85.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.26 COP 7,188

24.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.17 COP 3,731

52.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$75.0 COP 239.0K

38.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.27 COP 4,056

142.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.05 COP 6,531

-8.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.58 $31.58

$8.20 COP 26.1K

285.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.27 COP 4,046

27.56%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

40.68%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-23.46%

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

$288 $288

$162 COP 516.9K

77.50%

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

$77.9 $77.9

$13.12 COP 41.8K

493.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$28.09 COP 89.5K

186.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 $74.2

$44.33 COP 141.2K

67.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 $11.90

$16.33 COP 52.0K

-27.13%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 $19.79

$6.09 COP 19.4K

224.96%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$764 COP 2.4M

119.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

258.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 $91.3

$85.0 COP 270.8K

7.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$57.5 COP 183.2K

14.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$132 COP 419.8K

-7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 $206

$95.8 COP 305.1K

114.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$1,028 COP 3.3M

147.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,443 $2,443

$604 COP 1.9M

304.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,518 $5,518

$1,802 COP 5.7M

206.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,275 $4,275

$993 COP 3.2M

330.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 $7,211

$3,921 COP 12.5M

83.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,930 $6,930

$1,639 COP 5.2M

322.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,173 $4,173

$626 COP 2.0M

566.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

10.94

-37.29%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.8%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 75.3% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$467 11.1%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 38.3% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$446 10.6%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 54.4% $243

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$417 9.9%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 60.1% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 23.6% $51

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 2.9%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 26.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.7%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 50.3% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, 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: $122 in Los Angeles, CA vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $467 vs $288 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

01:42 1:42 AM

2 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Los Angeles, CA Medellin 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, CA
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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

Los Angeles, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 168% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 566% higher in Los Angeles, 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: $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 39% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Los Angeles, CA versus $764 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.