Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zahlah

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $997 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zahlah

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $997 in Zahlah, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Zahlah $997

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,599 in Zahlah, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Zahlah $1,599

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,201 in Zahlah, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Zahlah $2,201

Medellin costs about 62% more than Zahlah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Zahlah is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

-33.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

-33.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.85 LBP 881.9K

-3.55%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.50 LBP 402.9K

-30.89%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.40 LBP 214.6K

-23.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.91 LBP 81.3K

51.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$5.01 LBP 448.5K

-39.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.83 LBP 432.6K

13.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

-25.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.87 LBP 77.6K

171.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.24 LBP 200.7K

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.55 LBP 317.8K

-19.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

-9.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$10.46 LBP 935.8K

-8.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

-5.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.01 LBP 269.1K

35.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.65 LBP 147.4K

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.62 LBP 144.8K

33.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.48 LBP 132.1K

56.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.26 LBP 112.9K

53.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.61 LBP 143.7K

1.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.16 LBP 104.2K

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

76.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.93 LBP 262.0K

36.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

23.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

33.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.47 LBP 220.9K

-4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

-72.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.24 LBP 200.1K

-4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$22.27 LBP 2.0M

-61.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.04 LBP 93.3K

25.00%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$54.2K LBP 4.8B

-48.34%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

9.62%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$233 LBP 20.9M

-26.28%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

-40.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$37.64 LBP 3.4M

-23.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.81 LBP 878.1K

-35.98%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$675 LBP 60.4M

14.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$10.5K LBP 936.1M

-13.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$67.0 LBP 6.0M

28.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$48.56 LBP 4.3M

17.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$138 LBP 12.3M

-0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$119 LBP 10.6M

-17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 12, 2026

Last update for Zahlah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Zahlah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Zahlah

$274 27.4% 7.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Zahlah

$294 29.4% 37% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Zahlah

$167 16.8% 1.5% $2.6

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Zahlah

$227 22.8% 35% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6% 82.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Zahlah

$20 * 2% 66.1% $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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $70.0 in Zahlah. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $274 in Zahlah – so Zahlah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

01:10 1:10 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

78,145

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Zahlah 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zahlah

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 Zahlah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,496 in Zahlah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $70.0 in Zahlah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zahlah, where all-in costs run around $997, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Zahlah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zahlah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zahlah. 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.