Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Monrovia

For one person, living is cheaper in Monrovia: $1,282 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia
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Monrovia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monrovia

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Monrovia

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,282 in Monrovia, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Monrovia $1,282

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,894 in Monrovia, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Monrovia $1,894

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,506 in Monrovia, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Monrovia $2,506

Medellin costs about 32% more than Monrovia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Monrovia is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$7.42 LRD 1,258

12.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$10.84 LRD 1,837

-12.64%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.05 LRD 516

2.62%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$2.03 LRD 344

-12.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.97 LRD 334

-27.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$4.09 LRD 693

-22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.02 LRD 512

88.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$2.10 LRD 355

-27.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.74 LRD 295

31.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$5.11 LRD 865

-62.04%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$3.56 LRD 602

-13.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$7.80 LRD 1,322

28.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$11.62 LRD 1,968

-10.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$14.02 LRD 2,375

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.66 LRD 281

143.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$8.49 LRD 1,439

-81.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$10.13 LRD 1,715

-79.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$10.82 LRD 1,833

-78.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$2.22 LRD 376

-4.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$10.82 LRD 1,832

-84.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$4.73 LRD 801

-75.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$1.97 LRD 334

-19.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$5.07 LRD 859

-22.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$6.95 LRD 1,177

102.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$2.55 LRD 431

-30.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$3.53 LRD 599

-23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$2.97 LRD 504

-60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$20.30 LRD 3,439

275.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$2.06 LRD 349

-12.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.81 LRD 306

17.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$25.48 LRD 4,317

-68.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.25 LRD 212

2.40%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$20.2K LRD 3.4M

70.08%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$14.7K LRD 2.5M

131.67%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$152 LRD 25.8K

16.57%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$22.35 LRD 3,787

-37.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$177 LRD 29.9K

-82.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$62.1 LRD 10.5K

-32.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$9.87 LRD 1,671

70.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$5.11 LRD 865

46.18%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$101 LRD 17.1K

683.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$991 LRD 167.9K

1140.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$25.23 LRD 4,275

242.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$32.55 LRD 5,514

82.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$54.1 LRD 9,163

155.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$93.0 LRD 15.7K

6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$253 LRD 42.8K

430.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$96.8 LRD 16.4K

589.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$641 LRD 108.6K

208.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$269 LRD 45.5K

284.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$711 LRD 120.5K

-9.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monrovia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Monrovia

$97 7.6% 85.5% $570

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Monrovia

$455 35.5% 48% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Monrovia

$351 27.4% 58.1% $129

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Monrovia

$171 13.3% 1% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Monrovia

$92 7.2% 46.5% $80

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Monrovia

$43 3.4% 53.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Monrovia

$72 5.6% 27.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $253 in Monrovia. 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 10% higher in Monrovia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇷 Monrovia

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,010,970 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Liberian Dollar LRD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1,000 LRD = 5.9 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LRD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 169 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.9 USD). 1 EUR = 191 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Monrovia 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Monrovia

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 Monrovia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,923 in Monrovia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monrovia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Monrovia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,282 in Monrovia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Monrovia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.