Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hamra

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamra: $982 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Hamra
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Hamra Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hamra

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hamra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $982 in Hamra.

Medellin $1,639
Hamra $982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,583 in Hamra.

Medellin $2,413
Hamra $1,583

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,183 in Hamra.

Medellin $3,186
Hamra $2,183

Living in Medellin is roughly 67% more expensive than in Hamra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Hamra is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$11.96 LBP 1.1M

-32.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

-30.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.85 LBP 882.0K

-3.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.62 LBP 413.2K

-34.85%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.39 LBP 213.7K

-24.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

58.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$4.94 LBP 441.9K

-35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.76 LBP 426.3K

20.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.02 LBP 180.4K

-25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.84 LBP 75.5K

183.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.18 LBP 194.8K

-18.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.60 LBP 322.2K

-19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.26 LBP 1.0M

-9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$10.44 LBP 934.4K

-5.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$14.67 LBP 1.3M

-4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.01 LBP 269.4K

31.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.70 LBP 152.1K

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.67 LBP 149.4K

30.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.54 LBP 137.8K

41.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.25 LBP 112.3K

56.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.56 LBP 139.6K

1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.17 LBP 104.5K

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.73 LBP 64.9K

69.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.91 LBP 260.7K

36.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.95 LBP 979.8K

24.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.33 LBP 119.3K

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.50 LBP 223.6K

-9.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.12 LBP 458.1K

-75.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

-10.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$22.80 LBP 2.0M

-62.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.09 LBP 97.9K

23.85%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$53.1K LBP 4.7B

-35.79%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.4K LBP 2.9B

6.90%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$211 LBP 18.9M

-19.72%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$23.94 LBP 2.1M

-43.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$38.49 LBP 3.4M

-27.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.03 LBP 897.7K

-31.11%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$689 LBP 61.7M

15.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$10.7K LBP 959.7M

-15.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$67.2 LBP 6.0M

26.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$49.06 LBP 4.4M

18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$137 LBP 12.3M

-1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$122 LBP 10.9M

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

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 Hamra: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hamra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hamra

$275 28% 7.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hamra

$274 27.9% 29.6% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hamra

$228 23.2% 34.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hamra

$169 17.2% 0% $0.1

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hamra

$17 * 1.7% 82.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hamra

$20 * 2% 65.1% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $68 in Hamra. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $275, with Hamra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇧 Hamra

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,251,739

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hamra 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hamra

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 Hamra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Hamra differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,639 vs $982 including rent). Hamra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,474 in Hamra 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 $797 in Medellin versus $689 in Hamra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $68 in Hamra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $982 in Hamra versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hamra but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hamra 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.