Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lima Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lima

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 2.6% cheaper than Lima without rent, and 3.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 0.3% cheaper than Lima without rent, and 5.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.14 COP 22.1K
$4.06 PEN 13.92
51.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.05 COP 119.0K
$32.74 PEN 112
0.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.32 COP 26.4K
$6.77 PEN 23.24
8.12%
Cappuccino
$1.66 COP 5,972
$2.66 PEN 9.12
-37.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 COP 3,977
$1.00 PEN 3.41
10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 COP 2,815
$0.62 PEN 2.12
25.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.71 COP 6,173
$2.24 PEN 7.68
-23.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 COP 11.4K
$3.96 PEN 13.60
-19.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 COP 4,002
$1.41 PEN 4.84
-21.28%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 COP 4,708
$2.68 PEN 9.20
-51.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 COP 4,968
$1.30 PEN 4.47
6.15%
Eggs
$2.22 COP 7,989
$2.82 PEN 9.69
-21.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.34 COP 15.6K
$8.16 PEN 28.00
-46.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.80 COP 20.9K
$5.64 PEN 19.34
2.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.98 COP 32.3K
$10.46 PEN 35.87
-14.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 COP 8,144
$1.97 PEN 6.76
14.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,013
$1.13 PEN 3.87
-1.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 COP 5,271
$1.11 PEN 3.80
31.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 COP 4,917
$1.26 PEN 4.31
8.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 COP 3,999
$0.98 PEN 3.38
13.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 COP 4,189
$1.01 PEN 3.47
14.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 COP 3,203
$0.82 PEN 2.82
8.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 3,116
$0.92 PEN 3.16
-5.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COP 8,474
$5.68 PEN 19.48
-58.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.86 COP 39.1K
$9.13 PEN 31.31
18.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 COP 4,319
$1.75 PEN 6.02
-31.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 COP 8,924
$3.06 PEN 10.50
-18.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 COP 2,835
$0.67 PEN 2.31
17.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.77 COP 146.8K
$30.60 PEN 105
33.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 COP 5,124
$3.40 PEN 11.67
-58.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 COP 6,883
$2.15 PEN 7.39
-11.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.65 COP 27.5K
$8.47 PEN 29.06
-9.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 COP 3,481
$1.30 PEN 4.46
-25.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.1K COP 65.2M
$19.1K PEN 65.6K
-5.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K COP 94.7M
$24.1K PEN 82.6K
9.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 COP 292.8K
$56.8 PEN 195
43.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 COP 34.7K
$12.48 PEN 42.81
-22.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.36 COP 87.7K
$24.06 PEN 82.5
1.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.02 COP 93.7K
$30.89 PEN 106
-15.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.92 COP 68.1K
$18.69 PEN 64.1
1.23%
Cinema Ticket
$3.89 COP 14.0K
$7.03 PEN 24.10
-44.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$304 COP 1.1M
$215 PEN 738
41.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,902 COP 21.3M
$7,835 PEN 26.9K
-24.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.7 COP 211.3K
$49.89 PEN 171
17.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.48 COP 117.0K
$35.74 PEN 123
-9.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 COP 366.4K
$90.7 PEN 311
12.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COP 389.5K
$87.7 PEN 301
23.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$474 COP 1.7M
$604 PEN 2,070
-21.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 COP 1.3M
$351 PEN 1,203
5.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$848 COP 3.1M
$1,028 PEN 3,528
-17.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$716 COP 2.6M
$637 PEN 2,183
12.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,871 COP 10.3M
$2,252 PEN 7,725
27.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,375 COP 5.0M
$1,344 PEN 4,609
2.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$542 COP 1.9M
$649 PEN 2,226
-16.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
10.11
32.84%

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

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: April 11, 2026

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

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