Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tripoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $538 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$538

/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 $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $538 in Tripoli, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Tripoli $538

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $812 in Tripoli, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Tripoli $812

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,087 in Tripoli, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Tripoli $1,087

Medellin costs about 202% more than Tripoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tripoli is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.82 LYD 24.48

117.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$15.79 LYD 101

197.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$2.60 LYD 16.69

255.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.63 LYD 4.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.41

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$0.44 LYD 2.83

593.18%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.42 LYD 2.68

328.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.10 LYD 0.63

1280.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.97 LYD 6.25

54.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1085.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.19 LYD 7.62

42.86%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.38 LYD 8.83

114.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$5.33 LYD 34.13

91.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.61 LYD 23.16

169.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.17 LYD 58.7

51.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.23 LYD 14.29

85.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.49 LYD 9.57

2.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.71 LYD 4.54

212.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.55 LYD 3.55

312.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.77 LYD 4.94

158.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.49 LYD 3.14

240.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.39 LYD 2.51

202.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.20 LYD 1.31

520.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.77 LYD 11.32

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 LYD 6.34

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.91 LYD 12.24

102.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.30 LYD 1.91

313.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.80 LYD 5.10

60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.48 LYD 3.09

347.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.02 LYD 0.13

6650.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$23.6K LYD 151.3K

47.18%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$21.0K LYD 134.7K

65.00%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$93.1 LYD 597

79.02%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$6.05 LYD 38.75

125.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$27.35 LYD 175

6.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$24.58 LYD 158

83.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$2.36 LYD 15.14

627.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$53.1 LYD 340

1388.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$1,534 LYD 9,830

489.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$22.65 LYD 145

287.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$17.61 LYD 113

230.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$63.3 LYD 406

119.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$67.1 LYD 430

47.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$351 LYD 2,251

192.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$143 LYD 917

333.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$619 LYD 3,968

203.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$258 LYD 1,655

290.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$257 LYD 1,646

158.32%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Tripoli: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Tripoli

$143 26.6% 76.9% $476

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Tripoli

$117 21.7% 60.9% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Tripoli

$126 23.5% 39.6% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Tripoli

$77 14.3% 55.5% $96

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Tripoli

$46 8.5% 73.2% $125

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8% 95.4% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6% 58.4% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $351 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 158% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $16.00 in Tripoli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $117 – making Tripoli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,127,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Tripoli 9,520 km ≈ 12 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 202%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $807 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $16.00 in Tripoli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 156% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tripoli, where all-in costs run around $538, than in Medellin at $1,625. 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.