Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tripoli, Lebanon

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $1,060 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tripoli

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,060 in Tripoli, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tripoli $1,060

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,612 in Tripoli, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tripoli $1,612

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,164 in Tripoli, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tripoli $2,164

Medellin costs about 55% more than Tripoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tripoli is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.92 LBP 440.5K

64.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$49.85 LBP 4.5M

-5.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.89 LBP 795.8K

6.86%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.04 LBP 361.4K

-25.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.52 LBP 135.9K

18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.91 LBP 81.5K

54.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$4.92 LBP 440.7K

-35.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.73 LBP 423.5K

21.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.31 LBP 117.3K

15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.85 LBP 75.8K

180.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.51 LBP 135.3K

17.22%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.17 LBP 104.4K

147.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.96 LBP 981.2K

-7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.47 LBP 578.7K

52.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.09 LBP 992.9K

26.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.04 LBP 271.8K

30.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.63 LBP 146.2K

-4.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.48 LBP 43.0K

354.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.58 LBP 51.5K

237.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.61 LBP 144.2K

-1.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.85 LBP 75.8K

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.46 LBP 41.4K

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.08 LBP 275.9K

28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.18 LBP 1.0M

22.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.28 LBP 114.4K

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.58 LBP 231.1K

-12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$5.04 LBP 451.4K

-74.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.97 LBP 87.0K

111.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.26 LBP 1.8M

-57.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.10 LBP 98.3K

22.73%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$53.5K LBP 4.8B

-36.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$32.5K LBP 2.9B

6.61%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$213 LBP 19.0M

-20.18%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$14.16 LBP 1.3M

-4.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$22.64 LBP 2.0M

23.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$39.90 LBP 3.6M

9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.85 LBP 881.6K

-29.85%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$689 LBP 61.7M

15.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,420 LBP 306.1M

166.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

24.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$49.42 LBP 4.4M

17.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$139 LBP 12.4M

-2.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$121 LBP 10.8M

-19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$402 LBP 36.0M

200.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$201 LBP 17.9M

219.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$737 LBP 66.0M

175.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$343 LBP 30.7M

194.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,184 LBP 105.9M

252.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$843 LBP 75.5M

126.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$448 LBP 40.1M

46.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-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 Tripoli: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tripoli

$201 18.9% 68.7% $441

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tripoli

$212 20% 28.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tripoli

$249 23.5% 18% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tripoli

$158 14.9% 6.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tripoli

$170 16% 0.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tripoli

$9.9 * 0.9% 89.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tripoli

$60 5.6% 3.6% $2.1

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 $402 in Tripoli. 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 47% 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 $50 in Tripoli. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $212 in Tripoli – so Tripoli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇧 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

01:24 1:24 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

999,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tripoli 11,540 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tripoli

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 Tripoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 55%, 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 $1,590 in Tripoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tripoli, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $50 in Tripoli. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tripoli, where all-in costs run around $1,060, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tripoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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