Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lautoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $333 in Lautoka.

Medellin $1,614
Lautoka $333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $722 in Lautoka.

Medellin $2,402
Lautoka $722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,112 in Lautoka.

Medellin $3,190
Lautoka $1,112

Living in Medellin is roughly 385% more expensive than in Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Lautoka is 75% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$5.19 FJD 11.62

52.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$79.2 FJD 177

-41.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$7.80 FJD 17.48

21.79%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$2.56 FJD 5.73

21.48%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$2.12 FJD 4.74

-13.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,373

$1.51 FJD 3.39

-8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$2.43 FJD 5.44

25.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$3.05 FJD 6.84

80.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.66 FJD 3.72

-12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$0.73 FJD 1.64

223.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$0.87 FJD 1.95

93.10%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$3.44 FJD 7.71

-16.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$5.80 FJD 12.99

75.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$7.62 FJD 17.07

25.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$7.58 FJD 16.98

85.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$4.42 FJD 9.90

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$1.30 FJD 2.91

66.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$0.93 FJD 2.09

107.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$0.86 FJD 1.94

90.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$0.87 FJD 1.96

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$0.46 FJD 1.03

171.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$10.93 FJD 24.47

-63.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$5.46 FJD 12.23

144.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$2.57 FJD 5.75

-33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

$3.49 FJD 7.83

-32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,192

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.33 FJD 2.99

-2.26%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

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

$172 COP 547.3K

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$13.14 FJD 29.44

1.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$450 FJD 1,007

134.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$872 FJD 1,953

117.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$688 FJD 1,542

-5.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5% 35.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Lautoka

$13 * 4% 93.9% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Lautoka

$128 38.6% 23.8% $40

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,055 in Medellin and $450 in Lautoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lautoka pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $79.0 in Lautoka. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $191, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

08:02 8:02 AM

17 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

50,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 FJD = 0.446 USD

1 FJD = 0.399 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.446 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.399 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Lautoka 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Lautoka differ by about 385% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $333 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Lautoka. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $450 in Lautoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $333 in Lautoka – a 385% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka 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.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 385% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.