Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and La Libertad

For one person, living is cheaper in La Libertad: $794 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in La Libertad
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La Libertad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

La Libertad

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in La Libertad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $794 in La Libertad.

Medellin $1,639
La Libertad $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,328 in La Libertad.

Medellin $2,413
La Libertad $1,328

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,863 in La Libertad.

Medellin $3,186
La Libertad $1,863

Living in Medellin is roughly 107% more expensive than in La Libertad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, La Libertad is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.21 $3.21

152.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 149.0K

$47.15 $47.15

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.64 $5.64

68.44%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,550

$2.65 $2.65

13.58%

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

$1.80 COP 5,699

$0.86 $0.86

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$0.74 $0.74

90.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.1K

$2.31 $2.31

37.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.24 $4.24

35.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,783

$1.08 $1.08

39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,532

$1.63 $1.63

46.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,611

$1.56 $1.56

13.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,155

$2.07 $2.07

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.47 $6.47

57.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$5.24 $5.24

88.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.42 $7.42

88.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.87 $1.87

112.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,916

$1.13 $1.13

37.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,914

$1.13 $1.13

92.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,917

$0.97 $0.97

124.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,217

$1.06 $1.06

84.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,034

$0.92 $0.92

72.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,628

$0.75 $0.75

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,938

$1.11 $1.11

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.6K

$5.72 $5.72

-30.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$7.51 $7.51

82.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,257

$1.51 $1.51

9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,152

$2.90 $2.90

-22.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,699

$0.36 $0.36

225.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 245.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,017

$1.34 $1.34

-5.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,486

$1.18 $1.18

73.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$11.36 $11.36

-24.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,266

$0.79 $0.79

70.89%

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

$34.1K COP 107.9M

$22.0K $22.0K

55.15%

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

$34.7K COP 109.8M

$33.9K $33.9K

2.30%

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

$170 COP 537.4K

$34.39 $34.39

393.31%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$12.80 $12.80

5.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.9K

$25.45 $25.45

10.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.4K

$33.93 $33.93

28.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$14.33 $14.33

19.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$5.99 $5.99

15.36%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$287 $287

177.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.9M

$6,343 $6,343

43.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.3K

$55.0 $55.0

54.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.6K

$42.85 $42.85

35.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.5K

$104 $104

29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.0K

$76.0 $76.0

28.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$376 $376

221.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$256 $256

150.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$837 $837

142.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$527 $527

92.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.09

8.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Libertad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

La Libertad

$256 32.2% 60.1% $386

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

La Libertad

$185 23.3% 37.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

La Libertad

$73 9.2% 65.6% $139

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

La Libertad

$101 12.7% 40.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

La Libertad

$125 15.8% 26% $44

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

La Libertad

$8.7 * 1.1% 90.7% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

La Libertad

$46 5.8% 20.2% $12

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 $376 in La Libertad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $47 in La Libertad. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $185, with La Libertad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 La Libertad

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

75,881

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3,167 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,543 COP (10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin La Libertad 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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La Libertad

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 La Libertad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Libertad is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,190 in La Libertad 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $376 in La Libertad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $287 in La Libertad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $794 in La Libertad versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in La Libertad but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes La Libertad 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.