Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lhasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $738 in Lhasa.

Medellin $1,639
Lhasa $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,194 in Lhasa.

Medellin $2,413
Lhasa $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,649 in Lhasa.

Medellin $3,186
Lhasa $1,649

Living in Medellin is roughly 122% more expensive than in Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Lhasa is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$4.37 ¥29.06

85.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$30.36 ¥202

54.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.38 ¥49.11

28.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.81 ¥18.67

7.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.43 ¥2.88

318.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.31 ¥2.05

354.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.48 ¥9.85

114.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.08 ¥13.84

176.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.80 ¥11.96

-16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.65 ¥11.00

44.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.01 ¥6.73

75.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.58 ¥10.54

82.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$7.00 ¥46.59

45.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.04 ¥20.23

224.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$11.15 ¥74.2

25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.83 ¥12.16

116.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.34 ¥8.90

15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.56 ¥10.41

39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.33 ¥8.86

63.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.70 ¥4.65

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.95 ¥6.34

67.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.59 ¥3.93

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.59 ¥3.96

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.84 ¥25.58

3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.23 ¥74.7

21.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.84 ¥5.62

97.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.61 ¥10.71

40.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.31 ¥2.06

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$18.27 ¥122

323.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.47 ¥9.81

-13.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.32 ¥2.16

540.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$7.33 ¥48.81

16.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.31 ¥8.71

3.05%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$19.2K ¥127.8K

77.43%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$17.7K ¥117.7K

96.09%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$56.5 ¥376

200.21%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$8.54 ¥56.8

58.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$11.23 ¥74.7

149.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$42.42 ¥282

3.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$15.12 ¥101

13.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$6.33 ¥42.15

9.16%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$434 ¥2,885

83.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$17.8K ¥118.6K

-48.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$42.74 ¥284

98.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$33.30 ¥222

74.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$75.4 ¥502

78.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$76.4 ¥508

28.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$287 ¥1,910

320.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$189 ¥1,256

240.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$598 ¥3,978

239.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$373 ¥2,482

171.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$3,221 ¥21.4K

29.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,933 ¥12.9K

-1.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,079 ¥13.8K

-68.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.36

225.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Lhasa

$189 25.6% 70.6% $453

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Lhasa

$188 25.5% 36.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Lhasa

$76 10.3% 63.9% $135

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Lhasa

$105 14.3% 37.9% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Lhasa

$103 13.9% 39.3% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Lhasa

$23 3.1% 75.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 4.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $287 in Lhasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays about 3.2 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 $30 in Lhasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $188 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

867,891

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Lhasa 15,780 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $738 in Lhasa, so Lhasa is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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 $287 in Lhasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $738 in Lhasa versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa 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 Lhasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.