Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lancaster

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,111 in Lancaster, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Lancaster
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Lancaster Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Lancaster

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lancaster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,111 in Lancaster.

Medellin $1,692
Lancaster $2,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,206 in Lancaster.

Medellin $2,471
Lancaster $3,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,302 in Lancaster.

Medellin $3,249
Lancaster $4,302

Living in Medellin costs roughly 20% less than in Lancaster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Lancaster 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$19.57 £14.51

-57.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$115 £85.4

-59.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$10.47 £7.76

-9.55%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$4.23 £3.14

-26.00%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$3.54 £2.63

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.34 £0.99

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.60 £4.90

-52.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$5.21 £3.86

9.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.48 £1.10

3.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.79 £1.33

27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$4.22 £3.13

-54.03%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$3.52 £2.61

-12.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$6.44 £4.77

55.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$5.02 £3.72

108.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$12.31 £9.13

13.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.65 £3.45

-12.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$3.10 £2.30

-50.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$2.49 £1.84

-15.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$5.01 £3.72

-54.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$2.25 £1.67

-6.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$2.82 £2.09

-39.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.17 £0.87

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$1.66 £1.23

-4.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$21.68 £16.08

-81.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$9.30 £6.90

50.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$2.32 £1.72

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.64 £1.96

2.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$3.31 £2.46

-64.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$66.8 £49.50

14.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$6.89 £5.11

-73.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$2.54 £1.88

-16.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$25.02 £18.56

-67.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$2.04 £1.51

-37.25%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$38.6K £28.6K

-10.67%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$41.2K £30.5K

-17.09%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$362 £269

-50.97%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$16.89 £12.52

-17.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$48.49 £35.96

-36.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$59.7 £44.26

-29.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$6.89 £5.11

143.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$8.45 £6.27

-11.60%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$1,274 £945

-37.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,667 £5,686

60.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$77.2 £57.2

11.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$33.18 £24.60

78.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$82.9 £61.5

66.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$27.05 £20.06

265.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,071 £794

25.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$812 £602

-17.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,314 £975

50.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,406 £1,043

-26.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$5,188 £3,847

-21.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$9,417 £6,983

-79.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,098 £2,297

-79.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.55

97.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lancaster: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Lancaster

$812 38.5% 21.7% $145

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Lancaster

$294 13.9% 4.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Lancaster

$428 20.3% 92.4% $206

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Lancaster

$302 14.3% 74.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Lancaster

$99 4.7% 42.4% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Lancaster

$100 4.7% 6.6% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Lancaster

$77 3.6% 34.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,071 in Lancaster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lancaster pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $115 in Lancaster. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $294, with Lancaster cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇧 Lancaster

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

15:48 3:48 PM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

46,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Lancaster 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lancaster

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 Lancaster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,071 in Lancaster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lancaster pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $115 in Lancaster. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Lancaster on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.