Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baabda

For one person, living is cheaper in Baabda: $1,008 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
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Baabda Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baabda

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Baabda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,008 in Baabda.

Medellin $1,614
Baabda $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,611 in Baabda.

Medellin $2,402
Baabda $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,213 in Baabda.

Medellin $3,190
Baabda $2,213

Living in Medellin is roughly 60% more expensive than in Baabda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Baabda is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

-33.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-32.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-5.75%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

-32.39%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

-23.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

62.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

-38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

14.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

-26.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

159.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

-28.21%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

-22.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

-7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

-9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

-6.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

34.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

-12.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

28.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

52.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

53.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

2.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

-5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

71.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

32.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

19.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

-4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

-73.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

-6.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

-61.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

23.81%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-47.45%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

8.44%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$236 LBP 21.2M

-27.21%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

-40.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

-23.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-37.70%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$686 LBP 61.4M

12.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

-15.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

25.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

13.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$139 LBP 12.4M

-1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$118 LBP 10.6M

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Baabda

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Baabda

$277 27.5% 5.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Baabda

$297 29.4% 38.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Baabda

$169 16.8% 0.4% $0.6

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Baabda

$228 22.7% 35.7% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Baabda

$16 * 1.6% 82.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Baabda

$20 * 2% 65.1% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $68.0 in Baabda. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $277, with Baabda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇧 Baabda

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

9,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Baabda 11,530 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Baabda

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

Medellin vs Baabda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Baabda differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,008 including rent). Baabda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $1,512 in Baabda to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $686 in Baabda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baabda – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baabda but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Baabda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Baabda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.