Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jonava

For one person, living is cheaper in Jonava: $1,336 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Jonava, Lithuania
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Jonava
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,336
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jonava

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,336 in Jonava.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Jonava $1,336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,024 in Jonava.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Jonava $2,024

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,712 in Jonava.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Jonava $2,712

Living in Medellin is roughly 23% more expensive than in Jonava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Jonava is 2% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$9.98 €8.96
-18.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$50.5 €45.32
-6.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$6.86 €6.16
38.48%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$3.08 €2.77
-2.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$1.11 €0.99
62.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$1.93 €1.73
-26.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$5.72 €5.14
-44.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$4.94 €4.43
16.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.28 €1.15
17.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.51 €1.36
57.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$1.72 €1.54
2.91%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$2.89 €2.59
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$10.02 €9.00
1.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$5.60 €5.03
76.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$9.64 €8.66
45.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$1.65 €1.48
140.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.37 €1.23
13.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.65 €1.48
32.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$3.05 €2.74
-28.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$0.73 €0.66
168.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$0.92 €0.83
72.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.52 €1.37
-24.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.86 €0.77
44.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$5.89 €5.29
-32.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$8.39 €7.54
63.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$1.66 €1.49
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$1.75 €1.57
29.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$1.21 €1.09
-3.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$31.77 €28.54
143.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$3.10 €2.78
-59.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.82 €0.74
150.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$13.54 €12.17
-36.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.85 €1.66
-27.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$26.8K €24.0K
27.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$27.1K €24.3K
28.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$202 €182
-16.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$13.36 €12.00
1.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$11.10 €9.98
152.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$39.15 €35.17
11.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$22.30 €20.03
-22.91%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$8.71 €7.82
-20.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$511 €459
55.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$9,066 €8,144
0.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$133 €120
-36.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$63.4 €57.0
-8.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$80.5 €72.3
67.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$184 €165
-46.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$573 €514
110.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$393 €353
63.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$857 €770
136.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$655 €589
54.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$3,058 €2,747
36.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$1,905 €1,712
0.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Jonava
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$1,253 €1,125
-47.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
3.97
175.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jonava: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Jonava
$393 38.8% $249
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Jonava
$221 25.7% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Jonava
$227 7.3% $15
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Jonava
$188 10.8% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Jonava
$207 22.8% $39
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Jonava
$44 53.1% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Jonava
$57 1.7% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $573 in Jonava. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jonava pays 91% 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 $50 in Jonava. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $221, with Jonava cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇱🇹 Jonava
🕒 Local time
12:40 12:40 PM
19:40 7:40 PM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
30,650
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Jonava 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Jonava

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 Jonava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jonava cheaper than Medellin?
Jonava is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Medellin or Jonava?
On paper, salaries run 48% 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.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Jonava?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $573 in Jonava. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Jonava runs roughly 59% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $511 in Jonava. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Jonava?
At $1,336 in Jonava versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jonava but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jonava the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Jonava?
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.

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