Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lille

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,944 in Lille, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Lille
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Lille Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Lille

🇫🇷 France

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lille

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,944 in Lille, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Lille $1,944

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,941 in Lille, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Lille $2,941

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,939 in Lille, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Lille $3,939

Medellin is about 16% cheaper than Lille, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Lille sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Lille by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$17.98 €15.99

-53.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$73.5 €65.4

-36.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$13.38 €11.90

-30.94%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.75 €3.34

-18.67%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$3.15 €2.80

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.71 €1.52

-19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$8.01 €7.13

-59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.47 €4.87

1.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.31 €1.17

14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.96 €1.75

20.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.92 €2.60

-41.78%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$4.23 €3.77

-30.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$21.25 €18.90

-51.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$12.62 €11.23

-22.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$23.62 €21.01

-41.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.48 €3.10

18.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.22 €1.97

-31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.28 €2.03

-2.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$3.04 €2.70

-25.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.92 €1.71

3.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.03 €1.81

-17.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.76 €1.56

-32.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.67 €0.60

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$13.78 €12.26

-71.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.66 €7.70

59.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.50 €2.22

-33.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$4.10 €3.65

-41.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$2.21 €1.96

-43.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$68.3 €60.7

14.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.22 €1.97

-42.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.18 €1.94

-1.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$24.40 €21.71

-65.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.24 €1.99

-39.73%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$35.1K €31.3K

-1.09%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$38.0K €33.8K

-8.73%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$207 €184

-19.46%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$15.45 €13.74

-11.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$31.40 €27.93

-7.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$32.68 €29.07

37.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$9.93 €8.84

73.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$14.82 €13.18

-52.97%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$631 €561

25.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$8,272 €7,358

9.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$87.8 €78.1

-0.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$40.13 €35.69

44.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$102 €90.9

36.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$102 €90.7

-3.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$906 €806

13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$711 €633

-12.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,541 €1,371

22.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,166 €1,037

-13.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$4,490 €3,994

-11.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$3,041 €2,705

-44.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$2,904 €2,583

-77.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.92

179.08%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lille: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Lille

$711 36.6% 14.8% $92

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Lille

$377 19.4% 26.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Lille

$254 13.1% 21.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Lille

$149 7.7% 13.5% $23

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Lille

$300 15.4% 75.3% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Lille

$90 4.6% 5.3% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Lille

$62 3.2% 5.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $906 in Lille. 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 338% higher in Lille, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $74.0 in Lille. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $377 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇫🇷 Lille

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

18:22 6:22 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

236,710

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Lille 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lille

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 Lille: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $1,944 in Lille – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,915 in Lille. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,944 in Lille. That's a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Lille at $1,944. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lille it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,625 in Medellin to $1,944 in Lille. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lille makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.