Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lomas de Zamora

For one person, living is cheaper in Lomas de Zamora: $1,221 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Lomas de Zamora
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Lomas de Zamora Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Lomas de Zamora

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lomas de Zamora

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 Lomas de Zamora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,221 in Lomas de Zamora.

Medellin $1,639
Lomas de Zamora $1,221

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,061 in Lomas de Zamora.

Medellin $2,413
Lomas de Zamora $2,061

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,900 in Lomas de Zamora.

Medellin $3,186
Lomas de Zamora $2,900

Living in Medellin is roughly 34% more expensive than in Lomas de Zamora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Lomas de Zamora is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$9.94 ARS 15.3K

-18.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$52.8 ARS 81.4K

-10.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$11.40 ARS 17.6K

-16.67%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.40 ARS 5,237

-11.47%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$2.02 ARS 3,120

-10.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.64 ARS 2,521

-14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.87 ARS 5,964

-17.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.64 ARS 7,154

23.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.29 ARS 1,989

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.95 ARS 3,009

22.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.59 ARS 2,449

11.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.71 ARS 4,170

6.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$11.12 ARS 17.1K

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$10.41 ARS 16.0K

-5.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$13.23 ARS 20.4K

5.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.59 ARS 4,000

53.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.97 ARS 3,034

-21.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.34 ARS 2,067

62.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.98 ARS 3,054

10.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.21 ARS 1,868

61.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.20 ARS 1,852

32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.30 ARS 2,002

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.77 ARS 2,731

-29.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.21 ARS 4,946

23.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$5.44 ARS 8,378

151.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.63 ARS 2,511

1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.74 ARS 4,231

-17.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.97 ARS 1,496

20.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$26.33 ARS 40.6K

193.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.57 ARS 2,423

-19.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.01 ARS 1,561

102.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$8.02 ARS 12.4K

6.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.35 ARS 2,079

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$16.8K ARS 25.8M

103.36%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$30.2K ARS 46.5M

14.91%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$97.6 ARS 150.4K

73.84%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$20.17 ARS 31.1K

-32.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$27.02 ARS 41.7K

3.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$31.39 ARS 48.4K

39.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$20.74 ARS 32.0K

-17.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.86 ARS 12.1K

-12.09%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$240 ARS 370.6K

231.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$4,147 ARS 6.4M

119.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$121 ARS 186.3K

-29.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$96.6 ARS 148.9K

-40.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$118 ARS 182.4K

14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$101 ARS 155.9K

-3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$523 ARS 805.7K

131.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$326 ARS 503.0K

96.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,079 ARS 1.7M

87.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$823 ARS 1.3M

22.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$3,005 ARS 4.6M

38.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,287 ARS 2.0M

48.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$737 ARS 1.1M

-10.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

57.25

-80.89%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lomas de Zamora: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Lomas de Zamora

$326 26.7% 49.1% $315

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Lomas de Zamora

$272 22.3% 8.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Lomas de Zamora

$145 11.9% 31.5% $66

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Lomas de Zamora

$198 16.2% 16.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Lomas de Zamora

$197 16.1% 16.4% $28

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Lomas de Zamora

$37 3% 60.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Lomas de Zamora

$47 3.9% 18.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $523 in Lomas de Zamora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lomas de Zamora pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $53 in Lomas de Zamora. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $272, with Lomas de Zamora cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Lomas de Zamora

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

23:16 11:16 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

616,279

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,541 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,716 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Lomas de Zamora 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lomas de Zamora

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 Lomas de Zamora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,221 in Lomas de Zamora, so Lomas de Zamora is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $523 in Lomas de Zamora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $53 in Lomas de Zamora. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,221 in Lomas de Zamora – Lomas de Zamora is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Lomas de Zamora gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.