Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Los Angeles, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
Learn more

Los Angeles, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Los Angeles, CA

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 Los Angeles, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA.

Medellin $1,639
Los Angeles, CA $4,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $6,104 in Los Angeles, CA.

Medellin $2,413
Los Angeles, CA $6,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $8,148 in Los Angeles, CA.

Medellin $3,186
Los Angeles, CA $8,148

Living in Medellin costs roughly 60% less than in Los Angeles, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Los Angeles, CA 198% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$27.02 $27.02

-70.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$121 $121

-61.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$15.21 $15.21

-37.54%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.78 $5.78

-47.92%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$3.79 $3.79

-52.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.69 $2.69

-47.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$7.76 $7.76

-59.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$9.98 $9.98

-42.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.29 $1.29

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$4.68 $4.68

-49.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.58 $4.58

-61.35%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$5.35 $5.35

-45.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.27 $11.27

-9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$16.16 $16.16

-38.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$19.42 $19.42

-27.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.24 $5.24

-24.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.33 $2.33

-33.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.62 $4.62

-52.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$5.56 $5.56

-60.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.38 $3.38

-42.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.93 $2.93

-45.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.95 $1.95

-41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.43 $2.43

-48.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$11.99 $11.99

-66.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$15.05 $15.05

-9.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.94 $2.94

-43.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.71 $2.71

-16.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.72 $1.72

-31.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$105 $105

-26.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.05 $3.05

-58.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.87 $1.87

9.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$32.19 $32.19

-73.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.57 $1.57

-14.01%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$34.5K $34.5K

-1.23%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.0K $27.0K

28.64%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$280 $280

-39.47%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$78.4 $78.4

-82.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$79.1 $79.1

-64.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$71.2 $71.2

-38.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$12.21 $12.21

40.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$18.32 $18.32

-62.28%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,722 $1,722

-53.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$31.7K $31.7K

-71.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$91.6 $91.6

-7.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$65.7 $65.7

-11.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$117 $117

15.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$210 $210

-53.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$2,547 $2,547

-52.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$2,295 $2,295

-72.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$5,372 $5,372

-62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$4,158 $4,158

-75.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$7,171 $7,171

-41.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$6,923 $6,923

-72.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,204 $4,204

-84.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.86

59.48%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Los Angeles, CA

$2.3K 56.5% 258% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Los Angeles, CA

$462 11.4% 55.5% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Los Angeles, CA

$438 10.8% 107% $226

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Los Angeles, CA

$416 10.2% 145% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.4% 29% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Los Angeles, CA

$124 3.1% 32.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Los Angeles, CA

$108 2.7% 87.5% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $121 in Los Angeles, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $462 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,030,904

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Los Angeles, CA 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Los Angeles, CA

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 Los Angeles, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 26% less than in Los Angeles, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $1,722 in Los Angeles, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.