Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lija

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,974 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lija

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,974 in Lija, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Lija $1,974

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,101 in Lija, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Lija $3,101

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,228 in Lija, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Lija $4,228

Medellin is about 17% cheaper than Lija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Lija sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Lija by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$22.47 €20.05

-64.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$90.7 €80.9

-48.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$13.33 €11.89

-28.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.20 €2.86

-5.94%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.34 €2.08

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.92 €1.71

-26.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.71 €5.10

-44.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.78 €6.05

-15.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.32 €1.18

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.46 €1.30

63.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$3.42 €3.05

-48.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$4.23 €3.78

-31.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.29 €9.18

-0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$11.83 €10.55

-16.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$18.44 €16.46

-24.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.75 €3.35

5.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.80 €2.50

-44.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$3.96 €3.54

-44.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.84 €3.42

-43.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.86 €1.66

5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$3.36 €3.00

-52.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$2.21 €1.97

-47.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.49 €1.33

-16.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.18 €5.52

-35.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.85 €5.22

133.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.39 €2.13

-30.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.28 €2.04

-0.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.45 €2.18

-52.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.98 €3.55

-68.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.76 €1.57

16.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$32.80 €29.26

-73.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.52 €1.36

-11.18%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$28.2K €25.1K

21.00%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$38.9K €34.8K

-10.99%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$157 €140

7.98%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$31.50 €28.10

-56.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$28.99 €25.87

-3.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$56.7 €50.6

-22.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.33 €10.11

-39.01%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$272 €243

192.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.3K €11.0K

-25.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$57.7 €51.5

46.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$67.6 €60.3

-14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$111 €99.0

21.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$131 €117

-25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,205 €1,075

0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$830 €741

-22.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,528 €1,363

32.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,497 €1,336

-32.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,448 €3,969

-6.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,958 €2,639

-35.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.05

170.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lija: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Lija

$830 42.1% 29.4% $189

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Lija

$341 17.3% 15% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Lija

$218 11% 3% $6.3

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Lija

$317 16.1% 87.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Lija

$165 8.4% 2.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Lija

$23 * 1.1% 75.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Lija

$79 4% 37.9% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,205 in Lija. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $91 in Lija. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $341 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇹 Lija

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,200

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Lija 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lija

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 Lija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,974 in Lija – Medellin comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,961 in Lija. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,205 in Lija. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,974 in Lija. That makes Medellin about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $272 in Lija. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,974 in Lija, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,974 in Lija. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.