Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lubbock, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,098 in Lubbock, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lubbock, TX
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Lubbock, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lubbock, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,098

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,098 in Lubbock, TX versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Lubbock, TX $2,098
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,055 in Lubbock, TX versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Lubbock, TX $3,055
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,013 in Lubbock, TX versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Lubbock, TX $4,013
Medellin $3,186

Living in Lubbock, TX is roughly 28% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lubbock, TX 54% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.04 $15.04

$8.09 COP 26.1K

85.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$47.05 COP 151.7K

59.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$9.50 COP 30.6K

28.32%

Cappuccino

$7.37 $7.37

$3.01 COP 9,722

144.85%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$1.80 COP 5,801

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.41 COP 4,554

10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.18 COP 10.2K

121.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.68 $8.68

$5.75 COP 18.5K

50.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.51 COP 4,869

-39.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.38 COP 7,667

44.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.77 COP 5,712

129.94%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$2.89 COP 9,320

22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.54 $22.54

$10.19 COP 32.9K

121.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 $11.03

$9.87 COP 31.8K

11.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.62 $18.62

$13.99 COP 45.1K

33.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.97 COP 12.8K

23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.55 COP 5,005

7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.18 COP 7,039

63.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.18 COP 7,041

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.96 COP 6,328

-45.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.59 COP 5,125

72.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.15 COP 3,694

109.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.24 COP 4,009

194.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$3.96 COP 12.8K

154.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.30 $20.30

$13.68 COP 44.1K

48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.66 COP 5,352

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.26 COP 7,281

116.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.17 COP 3,766

-12.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.14 $30.14

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-61.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.05 COP 6,603

127.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.35 COP 4,343

-30.37%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-21.10%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-24.03%

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

$198 $198

$170 COP 547.0K

16.85%

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

$85.6 $85.6

$13.55 COP 43.7K

531.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$28.07 COP 90.5K

159.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.26 $21.26

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-51.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$12.81 $12.81

$6.91 COP 22.3K

85.38%

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

$657 $657

$797 COP 2.6M

-17.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 $65.0

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-23.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.4 $74.4

$58.0 COP 186.9K

28.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.2 $65.2

$135 COP 435.2K

-51.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 $781

$642 COP 2.1M

21.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 $1,597

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-21.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$1,012 COP 3.3M

12.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,648 $1,648

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-60.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 $1,332

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-30.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 $3,543

$657 COP 2.1M

439.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

10.94

-41.22%

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

Last update for Lubbock, TX: 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

Lubbock, TX

$781 37.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 17.8% $139

Groceries & Markets

Lubbock, TX

$450 21.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 34% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lubbock, TX

$357 17%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 40.8% $145

Eating Out

Lubbock, TX

$314 15%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 45.9% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Lubbock, TX

$92 * 4.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 83.5% $77

Getting Around

Lubbock, TX

$57 * 2.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 62.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lubbock, TX

$47 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 22.7% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,167 in Lubbock, TX and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lubbock, TX pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Lubbock, TX vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lubbock, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

1 h ahead of Lubbock, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

257,141

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lubbock, TX Medellin 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lubbock, TX
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

Lubbock, TX vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,098 in Lubbock, TX and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lubbock, TX is about 5.4 times higher, 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: $1,167 in Lubbock, TX versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lubbock, TX runs roughly 61% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $657 in Lubbock, TX versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 – Medellin wins on affordability, Lubbock, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.