Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lillehammer

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillehammer: $1,487 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Lillehammer
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Lillehammer Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Lillehammer

🇳🇴 Norway

$1,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lillehammer

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,487 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Lillehammer $1,487

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,355 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Lillehammer $2,355

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,223 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Lillehammer $3,223

Medellin costs about 9% more than Lillehammer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Lillehammer sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Lillehammer by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$16.65 NOK 157

-52.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$82.7 NOK 779

-44.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$14.08 NOK 133

-32.53%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.94 NOK 46.49

-37.04%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$3.59 NOK 33.81

-49.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$2.44 NOK 22.94

-43.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$10.56 NOK 99.4

-71.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$7.36 NOK 69.2

-25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.44 NOK 22.95

-40.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$3.38 NOK 31.84

-30.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$3.65 NOK 34.38

-53.97%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$4.72 NOK 44.47

-39.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$13.18 NOK 124

-22.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$16.62 NOK 156

-42.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$31.35 NOK 295

-55.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.93 NOK 36.99

3.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.97 NOK 27.97

-49.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.72 NOK 35.01

-41.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$5.65 NOK 53.2

-59.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.87 NOK 26.98

-32.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$3.03 NOK 28.52

-45.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.93 NOK 27.59

-61.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$2.29 NOK 21.58

-45.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$17.48 NOK 165

-77.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$18.52 NOK 174

-27.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$3.55 NOK 33.43

-52.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$4.46 NOK 42.00

-46.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$2.32 NOK 21.81

-47.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$9.47 NOK 89.1

-86.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.61 NOK 15.14

32.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$59.9 NOK 564

-85.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$2.40 NOK 22.64

-45.83%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$45.8K NOK 431.3K

-38.91%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$45.6K NOK 429.4K

-22.36%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$275 NOK 2,591

-37.49%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$35.71 NOK 336

-62.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$81.1 NOK 763

-64.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$20.67 NOK 195

-69.62%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$294 NOK 2,765

162.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$4,382 NOK 41.3K

105.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$107 NOK 1,005

-19.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$49.98 NOK 470

14.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$117 NOK 1,103

16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$158 NOK 1,483

-37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,033 NOK 9,723

2.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,281 NOK 30.9K

23.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,291 NOK 12.2K

29.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,056 NOK 19.4K

-68.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.32

105.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lillehammer: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Lillehammer

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Lillehammer

$507 34.1% 71.9% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Lillehammer

$392 26.4% 83% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Lillehammer

$194 13.1% 14.1% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Lillehammer

$326 21.9% 93.8% $158

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Lillehammer

$27 * 1.8% 71.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Lillehammer

$41 * 2.8% 28.5% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,033 in Lillehammer. 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 215% higher in Lillehammer, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $83.0 in Lillehammer. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $507 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Lillehammer

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

28,831

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Lillehammer 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lillehammer

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 Lillehammer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 9% more than Lillehammer, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,231 in Lillehammer. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $83.0 in Lillehammer. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 72% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lillehammer, where all-in costs run around $1,487, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Lillehammer it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lillehammer costs $1,487 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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