Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Byblos

For one person, living is cheaper in Byblos: $1,007 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Byblos
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Byblos Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Byblos

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Byblos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,007 in Byblos.

Medellin $1,639
Byblos $1,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,618 in Byblos.

Medellin $2,413
Byblos $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,229 in Byblos.

Medellin $3,186
Byblos $2,229

Living in Medellin is roughly 63% more expensive than in Byblos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Byblos is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.05 LBP 809.9K

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$42.63 LBP 3.8M

10.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.97 LBP 623.5K

36.30%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.92 LBP 261.5K

3.08%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.98 LBP 87.5K

83.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.98 LBP 87.8K

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.21 LBP 108.1K

24.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.63 LBP 56.3K

277.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.61 LBP 143.9K

9.94%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.14 LBP 191.7K

35.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.96 LBP 801.6K

13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.26 LBP 739.4K

19.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.94 LBP 1.1M

17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.02 LBP 270.4K

31.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.97 LBP 176.6K

-21.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.02 LBP 91.5K

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.95 LBP 174.3K

11.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.02 LBP 91.7K

92.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.99 LBP 88.3K

60.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.97 LBP 87.0K

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.97 LBP 86.9K

27.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$3.91 LBP 350.3K

249.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.55 LBP 138.5K

7.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.95 LBP 174.1K

15.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.99 LBP 88.3K

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.02 LBP 90.9K

100.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.92 LBP 82.5K

46.74%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.1K LBP 2.0B

53.95%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.5K LBP 2.0B

53.95%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$99.8 LBP 8.9M

69.99%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$22.87 LBP 2.0M

-40.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$24.64 LBP 2.2M

13.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$37.05 LBP 3.3M

17.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$40.44 LBP 3.6M

-57.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.86 LBP 882.3K

-29.92%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$398 LBP 35.6M

100.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,941 LBP 263.2M

209.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$101 LBP 9.0M

-15.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$100 LBP 9.0M

-42.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$122 LBP 10.9M

10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$149 LBP 13.3M

-34.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$300 LBP 26.9M

302.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$227 LBP 20.3M

182.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$805 LBP 72.0M

151.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$406 LBP 36.4M

149.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,354 LBP 121.2M

207.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$827 LBP 74.0M

130.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,017 LBP 91.0M

-35.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

36.75%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Byblos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Byblos

$227 22.5% 64.6% $415

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Byblos

$218 21.7% 26.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Byblos

$147 14.6% 30.3% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Byblos

$136 * 13.5% 19.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Byblos

$213 21.1% 25.8% $44

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Byblos

$9 * 0.9% 90.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Byblos

$57 5.6% 1.3% $0.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $300 in Byblos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byblos pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $43 in Byblos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $218 per month, with Byblos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇧 Byblos

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

04:33 4:33 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

20,784

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 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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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Byblos 11,530 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Byblos

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 Byblos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Byblos is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $300 in Byblos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $398 in Byblos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Byblos – a meal for two runs $43 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,007 in Byblos versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Byblos but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Byblos 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.