Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,509 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kaunas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,509 in Kaunas.

Medellin $1,639
Kaunas $1,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,259 in Kaunas.

Medellin $2,413
Kaunas $2,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,008 in Kaunas.

Medellin $3,186
Kaunas $3,008

Living in Medellin is roughly 9% more expensive than in Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Kaunas 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.03 €10.78

-32.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$67.5 €60.5

-30.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.20 €9.14

-6.86%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.43 €3.07

-12.24%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$3.36 €3.02

-46.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$3.24 €2.91

-56.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.24 €4.70

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.54 €4.07

26.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.61 €1.45

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.72 €1.54

38.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.26 €2.02

-21.68%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.24 €2.91

-10.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$14.95 €13.40

-31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.13 €7.29

21.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$13.49 €12.09

3.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.59 €1.42

149.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.49 €1.34

4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.18 €1.95

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.36 €3.01

-35.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.91 €0.81

115.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.94 €0.84

69.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.82 €1.63

-36.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.93 €0.83

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.25 €5.60

-36.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.03 €8.98

36.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.74 €1.56

-4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.15 €1.93

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.15 €1.03

1.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$31.91 €28.60

142.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.14 €1.02

11.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.89 €0.80

130.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$15.76 €14.12

-45.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.01 €1.80

-32.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$27.8K €24.9K

22.63%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$28.1K €25.1K

23.54%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$196 €176

-13.54%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$15.98 €14.32

-15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$15.68 €14.05

79.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$32.37 €29.01

35.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$27.72 €24.84

-37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.93 €10.69

-42.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$643 €576

23.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,792 €7,879

3.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$85.8 €76.9

-1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$40.41 €36.22

43.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$119 €107

13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$162 €145

-39.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$710 €636

70.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$490 €439

31.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,056 €946

91.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$698 €626

44.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,369 €3,019

23.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,272 €2,036

-15.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,718 €1,540

-61.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.05

170.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kaunas

$490 32.5% 23.7% $152

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kaunas

$280 18.5% 5.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kaunas

$228 15.1% 7.9% $17

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kaunas

$230 15.2% 35.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kaunas

$183 12.2% 8.6% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kaunas

$42 2.8% 55% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kaunas

$56 3.7% 2.3% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $710 in Kaunas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays about 2.6 times 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 $67 in Kaunas. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $280, with Kaunas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

06:12 6:12 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

315,993

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Kaunas 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kaunas

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 Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaunas wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaunas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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 $710 in Kaunas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $67 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,509 in Kaunas – Kaunas is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kaunas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kaunas delivers better value at $1,509 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaunas hard to pass up.