Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $1,823 in Lulea, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
Learn more

Lulea Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lulea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,823 in Lulea.

Medellin $1,589
Lulea $1,823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $2,920 in Lulea.

Medellin $2,364
Lulea $2,920

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $4,016 in Lulea.

Medellin $3,139
Lulea $4,016

Living in Medellin costs roughly 13% less than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Lulea 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$11.72 SEK 117

-31.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$95.5 SEK 955

-51.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$10.95 SEK 109

-13.88%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$4.36 SEK 43.52

-33.26%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.51 SEK 25.10

-30.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$1.87 SEK 18.66

-29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$8.58 SEK 85.8

-63.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$9.49 SEK 94.8

-41.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.77 SEK 17.71

-20.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$3.26 SEK 32.60

-25.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$4.94 SEK 49.41

-67.00%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$4.65 SEK 46.43

-39.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$12.25 SEK 122

-20.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$13.21 SEK 132

-29.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$26.18 SEK 262

-48.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.55 SEK 25.47

56.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$2.65 SEK 26.53

-44.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.49 SEK 24.87

-14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-45.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$2.04 SEK 20.39

-6.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.54 SEK 15.43

5.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$3.36 SEK 33.58

-65.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.29 SEK 12.93

-2.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$6.68 SEK 66.7

-42.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$12.05 SEK 120

8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.78 SEK 17.77

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$1.72 SEK 17.15

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$3.32 SEK 33.21

-64.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$55.4 SEK 554

35.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$9.04 SEK 90.3

-85.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$2.05 SEK 20.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$70.6 SEK 706

-88.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.77 SEK 17.65

-28.25%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$31.9K SEK 318.5K

-15.97%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$33.5K SEK 334.6K

2.75%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$160 SEK 1,603

1.12%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$31.51 SEK 315

-58.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$26.96 SEK 269

4.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$46.15 SEK 461

-3.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$35.47 SEK 354

-53.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$12.94 SEK 129

-52.94%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$153 SEK 1,528

399.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$5,466 SEK 54.6K

62.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$117 SEK 1,168

-27.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$31.97 SEK 320

79.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$120 SEK 1,202

9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$161 SEK 1,611

-40.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$778 SEK 7,773

32.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$581 SEK 5,811

3.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,418 SEK 14.2K

27.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,098 SEK 11.0K

-9.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$3,049 SEK 30.5K

28.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$2,254 SEK 22.5K

-27.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$2,595 SEK 25.9K

-75.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.85

184.16%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Lulea

$581 32% 3.8% $23

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Lulea

$404 22.2% 40% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Lulea

$219 12.1% 7.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Lulea

$194 10.7% 16.3% $27

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Lulea

$258 14.2% 55.3% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Lulea

$88 4.9% 3.5% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Lulea

$72 4% 27.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $778 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 315% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $96.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $404 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

07:17 7:17 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

73,864

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Lulea 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lulea

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 Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Lulea. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 315% lower in Lulea. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $778 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lulea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $96.0 in Lulea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,823 in Lulea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lulea. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,589 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Lulea are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Lulea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.