Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Luque

For one person, living is cheaper in Luque: $1,030 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Luque
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Luque Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Luque

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Luque

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,030 in Luque, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Luque $1,030

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,556 in Luque, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Luque $1,556

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,082 in Luque, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Luque $2,082

Medellin costs about 59% more than Luque, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Luque is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.22 ₲24.5K

91.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$34.94 ₲202.8K

34.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.30 ₲30.7K

79.25%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.50 ₲20.3K

-14.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.09 ₲6,354

65.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.57 ₲3,291

147.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.09 ₲12.1K

52.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.80 ₲10.4K

219.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.31 ₲7,618

15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.47 ₲8,552

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.37 ₲7,949

29.20%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.14 ₲12.4K

35.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.84 ₲57.1K

3.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.37 ₲31.2K

83.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.11 ₲58.7K

38.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.93 ₲17.0K

35.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.31 ₲7,600

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.23 ₲7,151

77.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.41 ₲14.0K

-9.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.41 ₲8,170

39.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.36 ₲7,867

16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.91 ₲5,282

26.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.71 ₲4,126

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.39 ₲13.9K

65.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.99 ₲52.1K

52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.37 ₲7,969

21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.78 ₲10.3K

26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.67 ₲3,871

74.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.45 ₲8,411

-12.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.57 ₲9,138

30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.37 ₲60.2K

-17.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.28 ₲7,454

5.47%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$17.7K ₲102.5M

92.88%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$30.4K ₲176.5M

13.99%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$26.26 ₲152.4K

546.04%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$17.13 ₲99.4K

-20.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$21.01 ₲121.9K

33.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$48.12 ₲279.2K

-9.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$8.88 ₲51.5K

-22.18%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$188 ₲1.1M

324.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,851 ₲28.2M

87.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$63.6 ₲369.1K

33.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$56.7 ₲329.2K

2.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$108 ₲624.0K

25.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$70.9 ₲411.6K

37.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$442 ₲2.6M

173.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$426 ₲2.5M

50.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,517 ₲8.8M

33.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$651 ₲3.8M

55.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,248 ₲7.2M

234.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$490 ₲2.8M

34.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.5

4.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Luque: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Luque

$426 41.3% 33.7% $216

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Luque

$216 20.9% 27.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Luque

$64 6.3% 69.5% $147

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Luque

$112 10.9% 33.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Luque

$134 13.1% 20.4% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Luque

$12 * 1.2% 87.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Luque

$66 6.4% 14.5% $8.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $442 in Luque. 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 34% 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 $35 in Luque. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $216 – making Luque the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇾 Luque

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

224,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5,803 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD). 1 EUR = 6,460 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Luque 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Luque

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 Luque: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,545 in Luque. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Luque, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $442 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,030 in Luque. That’s a gap of about 59%.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $188 in Luque. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Luque, where all-in costs run around $1,030, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Luque it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Luque – 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 Luque. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.