Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sidon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidon: $983 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Sidon, Lebanon
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Sidon
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$983
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sidon

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $983 in Sidon, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Sidon $983

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,586 in Sidon, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Sidon $1,586

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,189 in Sidon, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Sidon $2,189

Medellin costs about 67% more than Sidon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sidon is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$12.02 LBP 1.1M
-32.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$68.6 LBP 6.1M
-31.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$10.19 LBP 911.8K
-6.77%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$4.59 LBP 410.8K
-34.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$2.36 LBP 210.9K
-23.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$0.88 LBP 79.1K
60.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$4.89 LBP 437.7K
-34.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$4.66 LBP 417.4K
23.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.92 LBP 171.6K
-21.35%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$0.90 LBP 80.3K
164.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$2.20 LBP 196.7K
-19.55%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$3.65 LBP 326.7K
-20.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$11.24 LBP 1.0M
-9.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$10.39 LBP 930.2K
-5.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$14.76 LBP 1.3M
-5.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$3.02 LBP 270.0K
31.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.72 LBP 153.7K
-9.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.64 LBP 146.5K
32.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$1.46 LBP 130.5K
49.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.21 LBP 107.9K
61.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$1.62 LBP 144.5K
-1.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.22 LBP 109.6K
-5.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.73 LBP 65.7K
69.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$3.08 LBP 275.8K
28.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$11.09 LBP 992.6K
23.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$1.31 LBP 117.3K
26.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$2.54 LBP 227.5K
-11.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$4.88 LBP 436.8K
-73.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$2.27 LBP 203.0K
-9.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$22.74 LBP 2.0M
-62.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.08 LBP 96.7K
25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$53.2K LBP 4.8B
-35.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$32.9K LBP 2.9B
5.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$211 LBP 18.9M
-19.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$23.59 LBP 2.1M
-42.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$38.71 LBP 3.5M
-27.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$9.84 LBP 880.8K
-29.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$693 LBP 62.0M
14.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$10.5K LBP 941.5M
-13.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$68.0 LBP 6.1M
24.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$50.1 LBP 4.5M
15.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$141 LBP 12.6M
-4.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$118 LBP 10.6M
-17.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Sidon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
11
-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sidon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Sidon
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Sidon
$275 7.4% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Sidon
$274 29.6% $63
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Sidon
$229 34.8% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Sidon
$170 0.5% $0.9
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Sidon
$16 * 82.7% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Sidon
$20 * 65.8% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $69 in Sidon. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $275 in Sidon – so Sidon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇱🇧 Sidon
🕒 Local time
16:50 4:50 PM
23:50 11:50 PM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
163,554
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Sidon 11,530 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Sidon

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 Sidon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sidon cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,475 in Sidon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Sidon?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $69 in Sidon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Sidon?
Groceries cost about 8% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Sidon?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $983 in Sidon to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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