Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
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Sabratha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sabratha

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $406 in Sabratha, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sabratha $406

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $596 in Sabratha, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sabratha $596

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $785 in Sabratha, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sabratha $785

Medellin costs about 304% more than Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sabratha is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.03 LYD 19.43

167.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$9.55 LYD 61.3

392.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$1.54 LYD 9.89

516.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 LYD 3.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 LYD 4.34

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$0.44 LYD 2.84

584.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.32 LYD 2.08

462.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.09 LYD 0.57

1466.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.92 LYD 5.88

64.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1090.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.10 LYD 7.07

60.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.41 LYD 9.03

104.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$5.23 LYD 33.59

94.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.50 LYD 22.46

182.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.32 LYD 59.8

50.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.00 LYD 12.81

98.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.54 LYD 9.88

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$0.69 LYD 4.45

215.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.60 LYD 3.86

263.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.48 LYD 3.11

308.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.32 LYD 2.06

396.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.30 LYD 1.89

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.17 LYD 1.09

629.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.31

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 LYD 5.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LYD 5.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.89 LYD 12.11

109.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.82 LYD 5.26

42.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.81 LYD 5.19

56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.32 LYD 2.07

540.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$0.76 LYD 4.85

1025.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.02 LYD 0.11

6650.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$23.2K LYD 149.2K

46.53%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$21.4K LYD 137.4K

61.97%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$91.9 LYD 590

84.62%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$3.80 LYD 24.42

256.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$13.86 LYD 89.0

102.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$11.06 LYD 71.0

295.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$7.61 LYD 48.86

125.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$39.49 LYD 253

1917.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$946 LYD 6,073

863.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$19.10 LYD 123

343.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$17.32 LYD 111

234.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$64.7 LYD 415

108.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$15.66 LYD 101

524.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$157 LYD 1,007

669.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$78.6 LYD 505

715.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$232 LYD 1,490

773.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$108 LYD 695

834.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$280 LYD 1,799

1388.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$189 LYD 1,210

913.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$187 LYD 1,203

250.70%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sabratha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sabratha

$79 19.4% 87.7% $563

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sabratha

$113 27.7% 62.1% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sabratha

$110 27% 48.1% $102

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sabratha

$36 8.8% 78.9% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sabratha

$53 13% 68.9% $116

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sabratha

$5.7 * 1.4% 93.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7% 80.8% $46

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 $157 in Sabratha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.5 times higher, 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 $10 in Sabratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $113 – making Sabratha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

03:04 3:04 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

83,398

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.42 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.15 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sabratha 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 304%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $609 in Sabratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabratha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $157 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $10 in Sabratha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 164% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sabratha, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sabratha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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