Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,820 in Lulea, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Lulea despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,820

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in Lulea versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Lulea $1,820
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in Lulea versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Lulea $2,946
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,073 in Lulea versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Lulea $4,073
Medellin $3,190

Living in Lulea is roughly 13% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lulea 35% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.71 SEK 116

$7.93 COP 25.2K

47.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.1 SEK 952

$46.13 COP 146.3K

108.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 SEK 109

$9.50 COP 30.1K

16.21%

Cappuccino

$4.38 SEK 43.41

$3.11 COP 9,866

40.84%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.24

$1.83 COP 5,800

33.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 SEK 19.20

$1.38 COP 4,360

40.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 SEK 84.8

$3.05 COP 9,672

180.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.41 SEK 93.2

$5.50 COP 17.4K

71.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 SEK 17.99

$1.45 COP 4,600

25.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 SEK 33.84

$2.36 COP 7,496

44.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 SEK 47.11

$1.68 COP 5,328

182.74%

Eggs

$4.67 SEK 46.31

$2.86 COP 9,077

63.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 SEK 124

$10.19 COP 32.3K

22.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 SEK 130

$9.53 COP 30.2K

37.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.07 SEK 258

$14.04 COP 44.5K

85.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.16

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-40.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.36

$1.50 COP 4,742

77.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 SEK 23.36

$2.17 COP 6,891

8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 SEK 41.21

$2.31 COP 7,310

80.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 SEK 20.69

$1.93 COP 6,113

8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.82

$1.64 COP 5,196

-8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.30 SEK 32.69

$1.13 COP 3,571

192.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 SEK 12.59

$1.25 COP 3,954

1.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 SEK 70.0

$3.99 COP 12.6K

76.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 SEK 119

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.63

$1.70 COP 5,384

4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 SEK 17.53

$2.37 COP 7,525

-25.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 SEK 31.99

$1.21 COP 3,827

166.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 SEK 560

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-26.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 SEK 86.5

$1.32 COP 4,179

561.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.33

$2.14 COP 6,774

-4.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 SEK 702

$8.47 COP 26.8K

736.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$1.30 COP 4,114

33.85%

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

$31.9K SEK 316.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

14.13%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.9K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-5.99%

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

$161 SEK 1,595

$172 COP 545.6K

-6.46%

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

$31.36 SEK 311

$13.37 COP 42.4K

134.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.51 SEK 263

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-7.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.47 SEK 450

$45.24 COP 143.5K

0.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.02 SEK 347

$17.04 COP 54.0K

105.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 SEK 127

$6.28 COP 19.9K

104.62%

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

$150 SEK 1,490

$770 COP 2.4M

-80.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,570 SEK 55.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-38.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 SEK 1,189

$86.4 COP 274.0K

38.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.64 SEK 323

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-42.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 SEK 1,188

$137 COP 432.9K

-12.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 SEK 1,593

$97.9 COP 310.4K

64.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 SEK 7,763

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-25.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SEK 5,786

$616 COP 2.0M

-5.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 SEK 14.4K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-23.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 SEK 10.9K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

7.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,072 SEK 30.4K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-24.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,194 SEK 21.7K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

30.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,498 SEK 24.8K

$652 COP 2.1M

282.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.94

-64.81%

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

Last update for Lulea: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lulea

$584 32.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 5.4% $32

Groceries & Markets

Lulea

$404 22.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 27% $109

Eating Out

Lulea

$259 14.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 34.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lulea

$219 12%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 2.1% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lulea

$195 10.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 12.8% $25

Getting Around

Lulea

$88 4.9%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 5.5% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lulea

$71 3.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 18.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Lulea and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 283% 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: $96.0 in Lulea vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lulea

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

7 h behind Lulea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,864

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lulea Medellin 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lulea
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

Lulea vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Lulea. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 283% higher in Lulea, 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: $783 in Lulea versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Lulea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $96.0 in Lulea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,820 in Lulea, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lulea. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lulea and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Lulea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.