Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baalbek

For one person, living is cheaper in Baalbek: $1,586 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. The total is higher in Medellin despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Baalbek
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Baalbek Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Baalbek

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baalbek

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 Baalbek actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,586 in Baalbek, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Baalbek $1,586

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,479 in Baalbek, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Baalbek $2,479

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,372 in Baalbek, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Baalbek $3,372

Medellin costs about 3% more than Baalbek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Baalbek sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Baalbek by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$11.91 LBP 1.1M

-32.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

-30.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.86 LBP 882.2K

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.51 LBP 403.5K

-33.26%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.27 LBP 203.3K

-20.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.83 LBP 74.4K

69.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$4.98 LBP 445.4K

-36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.71 LBP 421.1K

22.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.01 LBP 180.1K

-24.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.92 LBP 82.5K

158.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.16 LBP 193.6K

-18.06%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.51 LBP 314.0K

-17.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.25 LBP 1.0M

-9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$10.71 LBP 958.4K

-7.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.88 LBP 1.3M

-5.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.01 LBP 269.4K

31.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.66 LBP 148.8K

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.68 LBP 150.3K

29.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.47 LBP 131.6K

48.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.22 LBP 109.1K

60.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.62 LBP 144.7K

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.16 LBP 103.7K

-0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.67 LBP 59.8K

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

33.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.12 LBP 995.3K

23.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.26 LBP 113.2K

31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.56 LBP 228.7K

-11.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.92 LBP 440.2K

-74.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.28 LBP 203.8K

-10.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$22.88 LBP 2.0M

-62.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.04 LBP 93.0K

29.81%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-36.07%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$33.1K LBP 3.0B

4.61%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$215 LBP 19.2M

-20.99%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$23.82 LBP 2.1M

-43.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$38.34 LBP 3.4M

-26.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.07 LBP 901.3K

-31.38%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$686 LBP 61.4M

16.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

-13.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

25.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$48.63 LBP 4.4M

19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$138 LBP 12.3M

-2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$120 LBP 10.7M

-18.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$922 LBP 82.5M

31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$603 LBP 53.9M

6.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,470 LBP 131.5M

37.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,189 LBP 106.4M

-14.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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 25, 2026

Last update for Baalbek: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Baalbek

$603 38% 6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Baalbek

$276 17.4% 7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Baalbek

$277 17.5% 31.1% $66

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Baalbek

$226 14.2% 33% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Baalbek

$168 10.6% 0.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Baalbek

$16 * 1% 82.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Baalbek

$20 * 1.3% 65% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $922 in Baalbek. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $68 in Baalbek. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $276 in Baalbek – so Baalbek wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇧 Baalbek

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

82,608

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 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 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Baalbek 11,590 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Baalbek

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 Baalbek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,586 in Baalbek – Baalbek comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,379 in Baalbek. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baalbek, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $922 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $68 in Baalbek. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,586 in Baalbek, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Baalbek – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.