Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Medellin $3,186

Lyon costs about 25% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lyon and Medellin sit above the global median – Lyon by 51%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.10

$8.09 COP 26.1K

108.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$47.05 COP 151.7K

43.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$9.50 COP 30.6K

43.89%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$3.01 COP 9,722

36.88%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$1.80 COP 5,801

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.41 COP 4,554

17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.80

$3.18 COP 10.2K

138.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.44

$5.75 COP 18.5K

5.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.51 COP 4,869

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.38 COP 7,667

-27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.77 COP 5,712

38.42%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$2.89 COP 9,320

64.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.55

$10.19 COP 32.9K

125.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.93

$9.87 COP 31.8K

23.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.59

$13.99 COP 45.1K

64.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-39.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.55 COP 5,005

61.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.18 COP 7,039

57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.18 COP 7,041

46.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.96 COP 6,328

27.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.59 COP 5,125

84.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.15 COP 3,694

22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.24 COP 4,009

-13.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$3.96 COP 12.8K

250.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-43.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.66 COP 5,352

60.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.26 COP 7,281

43.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.17 COP 3,766

106.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$77.4 COP 249.5K

6.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$1.27 COP 4,089

560.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.05 COP 6,603

7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.89

$8.55 COP 27.6K

381.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.35 COP 4,343

63.70%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

0.94%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

8.36%

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

$268 €240

$170 COP 547.0K

57.84%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$13.55 COP 43.7K

3.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.06

$28.07 COP 90.5K

3.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.03

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-15.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.41

$17.19 COP 55.4K

65.10%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.73

$6.91 COP 22.3K

121.85%

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

$628 €563

$797 COP 2.6M

-21.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

22.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.5

$84.7 COP 273.2K

27.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.84

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-25.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$135 COP 435.2K

-9.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$97.9 COP 315.6K

29.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-26.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$642 COP 2.1M

9.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,683

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-7.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$1,012 COP 3.3M

35.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,755

$4,170 COP 13.4M

54.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,866

$1,910 COP 6.2M

125.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,748

$657 COP 2.1M

366.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

10.94

-66.36%

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

Last update for Lyon: 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

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 8.6% $61

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 32% $100

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 42.2% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 6.2% $11

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 16% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Lyon 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 Lyon are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lyon versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

6 h behind Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lyon Medellin 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
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

Lyon vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 25% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,075 per month in Lyon and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lyon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $891 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,050 in Lyon and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,050 in Lyon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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