Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
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Zawiya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zawiya

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $441 in Zawiya, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Zawiya $441

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $686 in Zawiya, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Zawiya $686

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $930 in Zawiya, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Zawiya $930

Medellin costs about 271% more than Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Zawiya is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.30 LYD 14.74

251.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$15.47 LYD 99.2

204.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$2.71 LYD 17.39

250.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$0.44 LYD 2.82

584.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.44 LYD 2.84

309.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.11 LYD 0.71

1181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.91 LYD 5.82

65.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1090.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.01 LYD 6.50

75.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.35 LYD 8.66

114.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.74 LYD 30.38

114.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.57 LYD 22.88

176.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$8.86 LYD 56.8

57.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.02 LYD 12.92

96.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.47 LYD 9.44

5.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.70 LYD 4.49

211.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.51 LYD 3.27

327.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.58 LYD 3.72

237.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.26 LYD 1.64

511.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.30 LYD 1.91

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.16 LYD 1.05

675.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 LYD 5.07

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 LYD 4.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.67 LYD 10.71

137.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.74 LYD 4.76

58.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$39.22 LYD 251

97.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.75 LYD 4.79

69.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.45 LYD 2.87

355.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$2.31 LYD 14.80

270.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.02 LYD 0.12

6650.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$15.5K LYD 99.4K

119.70%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$16.8K LYD 107.4K

106.80%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$94.4 LYD 605

79.75%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$5.57 LYD 35.69

143.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$12.25 LYD 78.5

129.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$17.31 LYD 111

152.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$4.01 LYD 25.70

328.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$3.92 LYD 25.15

76.28%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$51.5 LYD 330

1447.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$897 LYD 5,749

915.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$20.81 LYD 133

307.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$44.19 LYD 283

31.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$30.99 LYD 199

335.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$31.62 LYD 203

209.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$88.9 LYD 570

1259.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$58.4 LYD 375

997.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$164 LYD 1,049

1139.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$121 LYD 772

739.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$347 LYD 2,227

1100.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$98.1 LYD 629

1846.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$251 LYD 1,609

161.78%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Zawiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 90.9% $583

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 63.3% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 46.9% $99

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Zawiya

$34 7.7% 79.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Zawiya

$57 13% 66% $112

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Zawiya

$45 10.2% 51.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Zawiya

$25 5.7% 56.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $89 in Zawiya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $15 in Zawiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $109 – making Zawiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

01:08 1:08 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

318,726

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.13 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Zawiya 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zawiya

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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 271%, 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 $662 in Zawiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zawiya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $89 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $15 in Zawiya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $441 in Zawiya. That makes Zawiya about 73% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zawiya, where all-in costs run around $441, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Zawiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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