Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lucea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $999 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Lucea
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Lucea Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lucea

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $999 in Lucea, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Lucea $999

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,656 in Lucea, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Lucea $1,656

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,313 in Lucea, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Lucea $2,313

Medellin costs about 64% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Lucea is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.29 JMD 2,096

-39.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$74.9 JMD 11.8K

-37.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.35 JMD 1,317

13.77%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.20 JMD 820

-42.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.20 JMD 188

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.70 JMD 110

101.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.17 JMD 342

46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.11 JMD 490

84.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$4.23 JMD 667

-64.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.67 JMD 579

-35.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.56 JMD 246

13.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.51 JMD 553

-17.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.33 JMD 1,787

-10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.28 JMD 991

57.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.36 JMD 1,634

35.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$6.17 JMD 973

-35.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.93 JMD 620

-60.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$7.48 JMD 1,179

-70.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.12 JMD 492

-30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.18 JMD 501

-38.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.70 JMD 426

-41.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.12 JMD 493

-63.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.50 JMD 236

-17.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$9.20 JMD 1,451

-56.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.20 JMD 1,767

22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.79 JMD 440

-40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.03 JMD 636

-43.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.29 JMD 203

-1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.07 JMD 484

-33.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.38 JMD 1,006

34.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.45 JMD 229

-6.90%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-22.45%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

4.54%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$166 JMD 26.1K

2.50%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$28.97 JMD 4,568

-53.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$51.9 JMD 8,180

-45.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.26 JMD 2,091

-47.89%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$359 JMD 56.6K

121.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,142 JMD 1.3M

11.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$24.01 JMD 3,786

252.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$30.87 JMD 4,868

87.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$78.9 JMD 12.4K

71.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$101 JMD 16.0K

-3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lucea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Lucea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Lucea

$386 38.6% 29.8% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Lucea

$246 24.7% 16.6% $35

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Lucea

$218 21.9% 28.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Lucea

$106 10.6% 37.4% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Lucea

$17 * 1.7% 82.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Lucea

$27 * 2.7% 53.9% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $75 in Lucea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $386 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Lucea

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,377

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Lucea 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lucea

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 Lucea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 64% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,499 in Lucea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $75 in Lucea. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $999 in Lucea. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $999 in Lucea to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.