Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucknow and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucknow: $396 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Lucknow, India
Medellin, Colombia
Lucknow
🇮🇳 India
$396
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $396 in Lucknow versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Lucknow $396
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $621 in Lucknow versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Lucknow $621
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $846 in Lucknow versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Lucknow $846
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Lucknow costs roughly 76% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lucknow is 71% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.86 ₹176
$8.09 COP 26.1K
-77.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.62 ₹1,009
$47.05 COP 151.7K
-77.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.23 ₹307
$9.50 COP 30.6K
-66.00%
Cappuccino
$1.57 ₹149
$3.01 COP 9,722
-47.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ₹41.97
$1.80 COP 5,801
-75.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 ₹12.29
$1.41 COP 4,554
-90.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.56 ₹148
$3.18 COP 10.2K
-50.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ₹214
$5.75 COP 18.5K
-60.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.70 ₹66.6
$1.51 COP 4,869
-53.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.47 ₹44.92
$2.38 COP 7,667
-80.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.59 ₹55.9
$1.77 COP 5,712
-66.67%
Eggs
$1.02 ₹96.4
$2.89 COP 9,320
-64.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.32 ₹315
$10.19 COP 32.9K
-67.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.51 ₹239
$9.87 COP 31.8K
-74.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$13.99 COP 45.1K
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.79 ₹170
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-54.91%
Banana (1kg)
$0.66 ₹63.1
$1.55 COP 5,005
-57.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.96 ₹91.0
$2.18 COP 7,039
-55.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.47 ₹44.75
$2.18 COP 7,041
-78.44%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 ₹28.11
$1.96 COP 6,328
-84.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.42 ₹39.45
$1.59 COP 5,125
-73.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.42 ₹39.88
$1.15 COP 3,694
-63.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.36
$1.24 COP 4,009
-75.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.90 ₹465
$3.96 COP 12.8K
23.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.57 ₹814
$13.68 COP 44.1K
-37.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 ₹158
$1.66 COP 5,352
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 ₹249
$2.26 COP 7,281
16.37%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.72 ₹543
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ₹41.10
$1.17 COP 3,766
-63.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.07 ₹861
$77.4 COP 249.5K
-88.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.98 ₹93.4
$1.27 COP 4,089
-22.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 ₹18.95
$2.05 COP 6,603
-90.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₹108
$8.55 COP 27.6K
-86.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ₹108
$1.35 COP 4,343
-15.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.1M
$34.1K COP 109.8M
-67.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K ₹2.1M
$34.7K COP 111.8M
-36.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.2 ₹5,149
$170 COP 547.0K
-68.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.74 ₹356
$13.55 COP 43.7K
-72.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.66 ₹822
$28.07 COP 90.5K
-69.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.88 ₹1,508
$43.70 COP 140.9K
-63.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ₹635
$17.19 COP 55.4K
-61.08%
Cinema Ticket
$3.20 ₹304
$6.91 COP 22.3K
-53.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$38.90 ₹3,693
$797 COP 2.6M
-95.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$979 ₹92.9K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
-89.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.41 ₹2,223
$84.7 COP 273.2K
-72.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.07 ₹2,381
$58.0 COP 186.9K
-56.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$38.75 ₹3,679
$135 COP 435.2K
-71.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$25.60 ₹2,431
$97.9 COP 315.6K
-73.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$133 ₹12.6K
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-89.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$87.7 ₹8,324
$642 COP 2.1M
-86.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$356 ₹33.8K
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-82.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$212 ₹20.1K
$1,012 COP 3.3M
-79.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,124 ₹106.7K
$4,170 COP 13.4M
-73.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$606 ₹57.5K
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-68.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lucknow
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$331 ₹31.5K
$657 COP 2.1M
-49.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.53
10.94
-22.03%

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

Last update for Lucknow: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Lucknow
$98
Medellin
$297 205% $199
Accommodation & Living
Lucknow
$88
Medellin
$642 632% $554
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lucknow
$67
Medellin
$211 217% $145
Eating Out
Lucknow
$58
Medellin
$170 192% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Lucknow
$51
Medellin
$169 233% $118
Sport & Entertainment
Lucknow
$22
Medellin
$58 158% $35
Getting Around
Lucknow
$13
Medellin
$94 632% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Lucknow and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 98% 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: $11 in Lucknow vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $98 vs $297 per month, with Lucknow cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Lucknow
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
02:44 2:44 AM
16:14 4:14 PM
10 h 30 min behind Lucknow
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,588,455
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Lucknow Medellin 15,550 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lucknow
  • 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
Lucknow vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lucknow cheaper than Medellin?
Lucknow is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Lucknow or Medellin?
On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Lucknow. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Lucknow and Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Lucknow versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Lucknow or in Medellin?
Dining out is cheaper in Lucknow – a meal for two runs $11 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Lucknow and in Medellin?
All in, you’ll spend $396 per month in Lucknow versus $1,639 in Medellin – Lucknow is about 76% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Lucknow or in Medellin?
At $396 in Lucknow versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lucknow but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Lucknow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Lucknow or in Medellin?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Lucknow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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