Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lamia

For one person, living is cheaper in Lamia: $1,182 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Lamia, Greece
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Lamia
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,182
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lamia

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,182 in Lamia, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Lamia $1,182

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,843 in Lamia, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Lamia $1,843

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,504 in Lamia, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Lamia $2,504

Medellin costs about 39% more than Lamia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Lamia is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$16.59 €14.86
-51.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$55.4 €49.65
-15.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$8.47 €7.59
12.16%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$3.10 €2.78
-2.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$1.38 €1.24
30.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$0.49 €0.44
187.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$4.91 €4.40
-35.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$6.33 €5.67
-9.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$1.63 €1.46
-7.36%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$1.14 €1.02
108.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$2.08 €1.87
-14.90%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$3.47 €3.10
-16.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$9.47 €8.48
7.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$6.20 €5.55
59.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$8.96 €8.03
56.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.93 €1.73
105.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$2.22 €1.99
-30.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$1.95 €1.75
11.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$2.14 €1.92
1.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$1.25 €1.12
56.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$1.09 €0.98
45.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$0.58 €0.52
98.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.96 €0.86
29.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$5.10 €4.56
-22.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$6.92 €6.20
97.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$0.92 €0.83
80.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$2.29 €2.05
-1.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$1.32 €1.18
-11.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$45.82 €41.03
68.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$4.14 €3.70
-69.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$1.13 €1.01
81.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$16.53 €14.80
-48.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$2.03 €1.82
-33.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$28.2K €25.3K
20.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$27.0K €24.2K
28.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$193 €172
-11.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$22.09 €19.78
-38.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$30.40 €27.22
-7.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$52.5 €47.01
-16.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$24.83 €22.24
-30.77%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$7.62 €6.82
-9.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$276 €247
188.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$6,577 €5,891
38.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$41.78 €37.42
102.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$44.85 €40.17
29.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$65.4 €58.6
106.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$129 €116
-24.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$482 €431
150.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$221 €198
189.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$512 €459
295.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$386 €345
162.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$2,465 €2,208
69.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$1,926 €1,725
-0.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Lamia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$1,141 €1,022
-42.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.34
104.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lamia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Lamia
$221 65.5% $420
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Lamia
$220 25.8% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Lamia
$245 16% $34
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Lamia
$240 41.5% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Lamia
$126 25.2% $43
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Lamia
$61 34.9% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Lamia
$68 17.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $482 in Lamia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 74% higher in Lamia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $55 in Lamia. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $220 in Lamia – so Lamia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇬🇷 Lamia
🕒 Local time
19:06 7:06 PM
02:06 2:06 AM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
52,006
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Lamia 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Lamia

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 Lamia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Lamia?
Medellin costs about 39% more than Lamia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Lamia?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,773 in Lamia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Lamia?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lamia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Lamia?
Groceries cost about 35% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Lamia?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $55 in Lamia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Lamia?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,182 in Lamia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Lamia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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