Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tarhuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarhuna: $372 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Tarhuna, Libya
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Tarhuna
🇱🇾 Libya
$372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tarhuna

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $372 in Tarhuna, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Tarhuna $372

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $576 in Tarhuna, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Tarhuna $576

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $779 in Tarhuna, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Tarhuna $779

Medellin costs about 341% more than Tarhuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tarhuna is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$3.95 LYD 25.35
104.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$15.52 LYD 99.6
203.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$2.62 LYD 16.81
262.60%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.65 LYD 4.17
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.68 LYD 4.40
-
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$0.44 LYD 2.83
584.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$0.46 LYD 2.95
291.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$0.12 LYD 0.80
1075.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$0.97 LYD 6.20
55.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$0.20 LYD 1.28
1090.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$1.21 LYD 7.77
46.28%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$1.37 LYD 8.78
110.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$5.17 LYD 33.19
97.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$3.60 LYD 23.11
174.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$9.59 LYD 61.6
45.88%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$2.30 LYD 14.75
72.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.49 LYD 9.55
4.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$0.73 LYD 4.70
198.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$0.56 LYD 3.59
289.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$0.77 LYD 4.95
154.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$0.50 LYD 3.21
218.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$0.42 LYD 2.70
173.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$0.16 LYD 1.05
675.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.74 LYD 11.15
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.98 LYD 6.28
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.82 LYD 5.26
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$2.00 LYD 12.84
98.00%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$0.81 LYD 5.21
56.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$0.49 LYD 3.14
318.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$0.02 LYD 0.13
6650.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$23.1K LYD 148.1K
47.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$21.0K LYD 135.0K
64.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$94.3 LYD 605
79.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$6.09 LYD 39.09
122.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$26.71 LYD 171
5.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$52.5 LYD 337
1418.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$1,540 LYD 9,883
491.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$23.10 LYD 148
266.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$17.08 LYD 110
239.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$63.7 LYD 409
111.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$67.2 LYD 431
45.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tarhuna
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 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tarhuna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
0
-

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tarhuna: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Tarhuna
–
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Tarhuna
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Tarhuna
–
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Tarhuna
–
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Tarhuna
–
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Tarhuna
–
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Tarhuna
–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Tarhuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $117 – making Tarhuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇱🇾 Tarhuna
🕒 Local time
21:52 9:52 PM
04:52 4:52 AM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
120,000
💱 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 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tarhuna 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tarhuna

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 Tarhuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tarhuna cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 341%, 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 $558 in Tarhuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tarhuna?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Tarhuna. 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 Tarhuna?
Groceries cost about 153% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Tarhuna?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tarhuna, where all-in costs run around $372, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tarhuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Tarhuna?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $372 in Tarhuna to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?