Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Loja

For one person, living is cheaper in Loja: $681 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Loja
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Loja Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Loja

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Loja

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $681 in Loja, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Loja $681

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,074 in Loja, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Loja $1,074

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,468 in Loja, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Loja $1,468

Medellin costs about 141% more than Loja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Loja is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.05 $3.05

165.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$20.66 $20.66

127.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.61 $5.61

69.34%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.22 $2.22

35.59%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.78 $0.78

130.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.43 $0.43

227.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.22 $1.22

160.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.23 $3.23

78.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.02 $1.02

48.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.48 $1.48

60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.32 $1.32

34.09%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.92 $1.92

50.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.60 $5.60

81.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$4.29 $4.29

130.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$6.07 $6.07

130.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.69 $1.69

134.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.09 $1.09

42.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.20 $1.20

81.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.12 $1.12

94.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.06 $1.06

84.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.03 $1.03

54.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.52 $0.52

121.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.11 $1.11

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.23 $5.23

-24.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.82 $6.82

100.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.53 $1.53

8.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.93 $2.93

-22.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.33 $0.33

254.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$30.52 $30.52

153.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.24 $1.24

2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.08 $1.08

89.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.86 $9.86

-13.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.74 $0.74

82.43%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$15.0K $15.0K

126.42%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$28.5K $28.5K

21.58%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$19.98 $19.98

749.10%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$11.49 $11.49

17.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$27.07 $27.07

3.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$29.70 $29.70

47.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$15.03 $15.03

14.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.26 $7.26

-4.82%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$180 $180

343.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,965 $1,965

363.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$52.8 $52.8

60.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$47.86 $47.86

21.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$79.9 $79.9

68.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$73.1 $73.1

33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$240 $240

404.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$172 $172

272.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$377 $377

437.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$315 $315

221.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$559 $559

645.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$324 $324

490.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$506 $506

29.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.5

28.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Loja: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Loja

$172 25.3% 73.2% $469

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Loja

$168 24.6% 43.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Loja

$59 8.6% 72.3% $153

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Loja

$85 12.5% 49.7% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Loja

$114 16.8% 32.4% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Loja

$38 5.7% 58.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Loja

$44 6.5% 23.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $240 in Loja. 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 30% higher in Medellin, 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 in Medellin versus $21 in Loja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $168 – making Loja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Loja

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

180,617

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Loja 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Loja

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 Loja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $681 in Loja – Loja comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,021 in Loja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Loja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $240 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Loja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $180 in Loja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Loja, where all-in costs run around $681, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Loja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Loja – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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