Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Ángeles and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
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Los Ángeles Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Los Ángeles vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Los Ángeles $925
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,378 per month in Los Ángeles vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,378
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,831 per month in Los Ángeles vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,831
Medellin $3,190

Los Ángeles is about 43% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Los Ángeles sits 32% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

57.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

$46.13 COP 146.7K

-45.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 CLP 10.0K

$9.50 COP 30.2K

7.05%

Cappuccino

$2.03 CLP 1,996

$3.11 COP 9,897

-34.73%

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

$1.50 CLP 1,474

$1.83 COP 5,818

-18.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CLP 1,542

$1.38 COP 4,373

13.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 CLP 2,437

$3.05 COP 9,702

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CLP 2,998

$5.50 COP 17.5K

-44.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 CLP 1,189

$1.45 COP 4,614

-16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 CLP 2,756

$2.36 COP 7,519

18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 CLP 2,939

$1.68 COP 5,345

77.38%

Eggs

$4.33 CLP 4,269

$2.86 COP 9,106

51.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 CLP 7,928

$10.19 COP 32.4K

-21.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

$9.53 COP 30.3K

12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 CLP 14.0K

$14.04 COP 44.7K

0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 CLP 2,587

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-35.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CLP 1,582

$1.50 COP 4,757

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CLP 2,673

$2.17 COP 6,913

24.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 CLP 2,248

$2.31 COP 7,333

-1.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,483

$1.93 COP 6,132

-21.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,570

$1.64 COP 5,212

-3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 CLP 1,416

$1.13 COP 3,582

27.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CLP 1,083

$1.25 COP 3,966

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 CLP 5,586

$3.99 COP 12.7K

42.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.27 CLP 4,203

$13.35 COP 42.5K

-68.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 CLP 978

$1.70 COP 5,400

-41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 CLP 488

$1.21 COP 3,839

-58.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 CLP 2,032

$1.32 COP 4,192

56.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CLP 1,245

$1.30 COP 4,127

-3.08%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

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

$123 CLP 120.9K

$172 COP 547.3K

-28.70%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

$28.73 COP 91.4K

-27.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CLP 79.5K

$45.24 COP 143.9K

78.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

$17.04 COP 54.2K

-39.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 CLP 4,355

$6.28 COP 20.0K

-29.62%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 CLP 269.6K

$1,055 COP 3.4M

-74.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 CLP 224.2K

$616 COP 2.0M

-63.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 CLP 435.3K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-76.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 CLP 331.6K

$1,023 COP 3.3M

-67.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 7.3% $20

Accommodation & Living

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 171% $388

Eating Out

Los Ángeles

$185 20%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 9.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 49.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 35.4% $32

Getting Around

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 2210% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Los Ángeles

- * 0%

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Los Ángeles versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Los Ángeles versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $295 – making Los Ángeles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

2 h behind Los Ángeles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,023

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.15 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 985 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,103 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Ángeles Medellin 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Ángeles
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

Los Ángeles vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 75% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,387 per month in Los Ángeles and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Ángeles, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Los Ángeles and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 75%.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Ángeles costs $925 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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