Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Beirut

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Beirut: $1,589 and $1,644 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
Learn more

Beirut Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Beirut

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,644 in Beirut.

Medellin $1,589
Beirut $1,644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $2,637 in Beirut.

Medellin $2,364
Beirut $2,637

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $3,629 in Beirut.

Medellin $3,139
Beirut $3,629

Living in Medellin costs roughly 3% less than in Beirut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Beirut 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$12.14 LBP 1.1M

-34.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$70.1 LBP 6.3M

-33.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$9.84 LBP 880.6K

-4.17%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$4.45 LBP 398.4K

-34.61%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.39 LBP 214.0K

-26.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

-35.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$4.83 LBP 432.7K

14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$2.00 LBP 179.3K

-29.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$0.84 LBP 75.2K

190.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$2.34 LBP 209.4K

-30.34%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$3.55 LBP 318.0K

-20.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$11.02 LBP 986.7K

-12.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$10.76 LBP 963.3K

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$14.62 LBP 1.3M

-7.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$3.13 LBP 280.3K

27.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.71 LBP 153.0K

-13.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.68 LBP 150.7K

26.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$1.52 LBP 135.7K

48.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.24 LBP 111.2K

54.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.59 LBP 142.4K

1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.21 LBP 108.6K

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.68 LBP 61.1K

85.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.06 LBP 273.5K

24.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$10.91 LBP 976.2K

20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.33 LBP 119.2K

20.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.59 LBP 232.0K

-12.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$2.26 LBP 202.7K

-48.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$76.0 LBP 6.8M

-1.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$4.93 LBP 441.5K

-74.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$2.20 LBP 196.6K

-6.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$22.38 LBP 2.0M

-63.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.05 LBP 93.6K

20.95%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$54.0K LBP 4.8B

-50.43%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$32.8K LBP 2.9B

4.98%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$231 LBP 20.6M

-29.69%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$22.10 LBP 2.0M

-40.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$37.83 LBP 3.4M

-25.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$85.5 LBP 7.7M

-48.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$34.08 LBP 3.1M

-52.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$10.02 LBP 896.8K

-39.22%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$678 LBP 60.7M

12.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$10.6K LBP 951.6M

-16.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$66.5 LBP 6.0M

27.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$48.54 LBP 4.3M

18.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$138 LBP 12.3M

-4.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$118 LBP 10.6M

-18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$944 LBP 84.5M

8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$488 LBP 43.7M

23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$2,203 LBP 197.2M

-18.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,059 LBP 94.8M

-6.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$3,927 LBP 351.5M

-0.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,848 LBP 165.4M

-11.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$703 LBP 62.9M

-10.97%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Beirut: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Beirut

$488 29.5% 19.2% $116

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Beirut

$277 16.7% 4.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Beirut

$291 17.6% 42.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Beirut

$167 10.1% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Beirut

$227 13.7% 36.6% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Beirut

$101 6.1% 10.7% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Beirut

$106 6.4% 86.8% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $944 in Beirut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Beirut pays 12% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $70.0 in Beirut. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $277, with Beirut cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇧 Beirut

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,916,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.97 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,291 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.97 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Beirut 11,530 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Beirut

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 Beirut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Beirut. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $944 in Beirut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $1,644 in Beirut – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 1% less than in Beirut. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,644 in Beirut, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Beirut. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Beirut, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Beirut. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.