Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Misrata

For one person, living is cheaper in Misrata: $439 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Misrata, Libya
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Misrata
🇱🇾 Libya
$439
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Misrata

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $439 in Misrata, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Misrata $439

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $709 in Misrata, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Misrata $709

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $979 in Misrata, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Misrata $979

Medellin costs about 273% more than Misrata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Misrata is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$2.73 LYD 17.51
196.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$7.98 LYD 51.2
489.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$2.64 LYD 16.92
259.85%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.60 LYD 3.84
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.49 LYD 3.15
-
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$0.48 LYD 3.05
527.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$0.43 LYD 2.73
318.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$0.10 LYD 0.65
1310.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$0.85 LYD 5.43
77.65%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$0.20 LYD 1.28
1090.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$0.95 LYD 6.08
86.32%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$1.21 LYD 7.79
138.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$4.05 LYD 25.99
151.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$3.41 LYD 21.88
189.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$9.05 LYD 58.0
54.59%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.22 LYD 14.25
78.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$1.53 LYD 9.82
1.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$0.74 LYD 4.75
194.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$0.60 LYD 3.85
263.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$0.72 LYD 4.62
172.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$0.46 LYD 2.95
245.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$0.43 LYD 2.75
167.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.19 LYD 1.21
552.63%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.22 LYD 14.26
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.69 LYD 4.45
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.85 LYD 5.45
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$1.89 LYD 12.14
109.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$0.64 LYD 4.13
82.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$39.49 LYD 253
95.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$0.81 LYD 5.19
56.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$0.49 LYD 3.11
318.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$2.31 LYD 14.80
270.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$0.02 LYD 0.13
6650.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$23.4K LYD 150.3K
45.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$19.1K LYD 122.7K
81.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$62.0 LYD 398
173.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$6.05 LYD 38.80
123.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$27.12 LYD 174
3.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$14.29 LYD 91.7
205.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$7.66 LYD 49.15
124.41%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$4.78 LYD 30.64
44.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$26.32 LYD 169
2926.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$805 LYD 5,162
1032.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$22.81 LYD 146
271.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$17.16 LYD 110
237.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$45.36 LYD 291
197.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$41.88 LYD 269
133.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$147 LYD 940
724.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$71.4 LYD 458
799.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$326 LYD 2,090
522.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$214 LYD 1,374
372.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$516 LYD 3,307
708.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$103 LYD 659
1759.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Misrata
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$398 LYD 2,550
65.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
20
-45.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Misrata: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Misrata
$71 88.9% $570
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Misrata
$109 63.4% $188
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Misrata
$95 55% $116
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Misrata
$38 77.8% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Misrata
$57 66.1% $112
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Misrata
$45 51.6% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Misrata
$24 58.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $147 in Misrata. 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 65% 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 $8 in Misrata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $109 – making Misrata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇱🇾 Misrata
🕒 Local time
02:03 2:03 AM
09:03 9:03 AM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
600,000
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.16 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Misrata 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Misrata

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 Misrata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Misrata cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 273%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $659 in Misrata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Misrata, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $147 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Misrata?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $8 in Misrata. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Misrata?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $439 in Misrata. That makes Misrata about 73% cheaper.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Misrata?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Misrata, where all-in costs run around $439, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Misrata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Misrata more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Misrata – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Misrata. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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