Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Louvain-la-Neuve and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Medellin, Colombia
Louvain-la-Neuve
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,209
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Louvain-la-Neuve $2,209
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,348 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Louvain-la-Neuve $3,348
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,487 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Louvain-la-Neuve $4,487
  • Medellin $3,186

Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 35% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Louvain-la-Neuve and Medellin sit above the global median – Louvain-la-Neuve by 62%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.23 €17.18
$8.09 COP 26.1K
137.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.7 €79.2
$47.05 COP 151.8K
88.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.79 €12.31
$9.50 COP 30.7K
45.16%
Cappuccino
$4.30 €3.84
$3.01 COP 9,729
42.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 €3.25
$1.80 COP 5,806
102.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 €2.75
$1.41 COP 4,558
118.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.53 €4.94
$3.18 COP 10.2K
73.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.89
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-24.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 €1.05
$1.51 COP 4,873
-21.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 €2.41
$2.38 COP 7,673
13.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.83 €2.53
$1.77 COP 5,716
59.89%
Eggs
$3.79 €3.38
$2.89 COP 9,327
31.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.46 €16.49
$10.19 COP 32.9K
81.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.57 €10.34
$9.87 COP 31.9K
17.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.31 €17.25
$13.99 COP 45.1K
38.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.13 €2.80
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-21.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 €2.12
$1.55 COP 5,009
52.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.85 €2.54
$2.18 COP 7,044
30.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.01 €3.58
$2.18 COP 7,047
83.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.31 €2.07
$1.96 COP 6,333
17.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 €1.94
$1.59 COP 5,129
36.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.15 COP 3,696
49.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.98
$1.24 COP 4,012
-12.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.40 €8.39
$3.96 COP 12.8K
137.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.96 €7.11
$13.68 COP 44.2K
-41.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 €2.20
$1.66 COP 5,356
48.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 €2.79
$2.26 COP 7,286
38.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.96 €5.32
$1.17 COP 3,769
409.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.3 €49.43
$77.4 COP 249.7K
-28.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.86 €2.55
$1.27 COP 4,092
125.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.05 COP 6,608
14.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.55 €14.78
$8.55 COP 27.6K
93.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.35 COP 4,346
45.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.2K €31.4K
$34.1K COP 109.9M
3.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K €32.8K
$34.7K COP 111.9M
5.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$283 €253
$170 COP 547.5K
66.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.01 €18.76
$13.55 COP 43.7K
55.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.7 €53.3
$28.07 COP 90.6K
112.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.31 €25.28
$43.70 COP 141.0K
-35.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 €15.28
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-0.47%
Cinema Ticket
$14.07 €12.57
$6.91 COP 22.3K
103.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$847 €756
$797 COP 2.6M
6.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.4K €33.4K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
310.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 €92.0
$84.7 COP 273.4K
21.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.16 €41.23
$58.0 COP 187.0K
-20.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 €99.4
$135 COP 435.5K
-17.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 €119
$97.9 COP 315.8K
35.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$987 €881
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-18.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$845 €754
$642 COP 2.1M
31.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,705 €1,523
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-15.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,465 €1,309
$1,012 COP 3.3M
44.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,582 €3,199
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-14.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,142 €2,806
$1,910 COP 6.2M
64.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Louvain-la-Neuve
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,622 €2,342
$657 COP 2.1M
299.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.65
10.94
-66.64%

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

Last update for Louvain-la-Neuve: 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
Louvain-la-Neuve
$845
Medellin
$642 24% $203
Groceries & Markets
Louvain-la-Neuve
$364
Medellin
$297 18.3% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Louvain-la-Neuve
$363
Medellin
$211 41.9% $152
Eating Out
Louvain-la-Neuve
$310
Medellin
$170 45.3% $140
Clothing & Footwear
Louvain-la-Neuve
$177
Medellin
$169 4.5% $7.9
Getting Around
Louvain-la-Neuve
$94
Medellin
$94 0.2% $0.2
Sport & Entertainment
Louvain-la-Neuve
$56
Medellin
$58 1.9% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $987 in Louvain-la-Neuve 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 in Louvain-la-Neuve are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Louvain-la-Neuve versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Louvain-la-Neuve
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
01:37 1:37 AM
19:37 7:37 PM
6 h behind Louvain-la-Neuve
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
29,521
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Louvain-la-Neuve Medellin 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Louvain-la-Neuve
  • 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
Louvain-la-Neuve vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Louvain-la-Neuve or Medellin?
Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 35% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Louvain-la-Neuve and in Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,313 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Louvain-la-Neuve or Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Louvain-la-Neuve, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $987 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Are groceries more expensive in Louvain-la-Neuve or in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 22% more in Louvain-la-Neuve, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Louvain-la-Neuve and in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Louvain-la-Neuve and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Louvain-la-Neuve or in Medellin?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Louvain-la-Neuve or Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Louvain-la-Neuve or to Medellin?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Louvain-la-Neuve makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Louvain-la-Neuve vs other spots: cost of living compared

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