Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monroe, LA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,868 in Monroe, LA, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, LA
Learn more

Monroe, LA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,868

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monroe, LA and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monroe, LA and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,868 per month in Monroe, LA vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Monroe, LA $1,868
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $2,845 per month in Monroe, LA vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Monroe, LA $2,845
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $3,822 per month in Monroe, LA vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Monroe, LA $3,822
Medellin $3,199

Monroe, LA costs about 15% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Monroe, LA and Medellin sit above the global median – Monroe, LA by 38%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 $16.80

$8.30 COP 26.3K

102.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.32 $39.32

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-16.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$9.24 COP 29.3K

10.28%

Cappuccino

$3.08 $3.08

$3.05 COP 9,676

0.98%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$1.80 COP 5,707

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.38 COP 4,382

76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.24 COP 10.3K

24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$5.56 COP 17.6K

10.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 COP 4,760

-27.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.37 COP 7,508

15.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.70 COP 5,377

61.76%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.96 COP 9,379

4.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-14.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-18.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 $15.71

$13.90 COP 44.1K

13.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$4.13 COP 13.1K

22.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.53 COP 4,839

-7.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.22 COP 7,052

94.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.27 COP 7,194

67.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.99 COP 6,311

36.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.67 COP 5,285

55.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.18 COP 3,742

23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.24 COP 3,919

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.87 COP 12.3K

104.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 $13.25

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.66 COP 5,256

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.40 COP 7,615

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.28 COP 4,044

98.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.15 COP 6,803

-28.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.83 $23.83

$8.37 COP 26.5K

184.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.35 COP 4,288

-33.33%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-20.57%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-23.05%

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

$171 $171

$167 COP 528.4K

2.58%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$13.62 COP 43.2K

290.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 $63.1

$29.12 COP 92.3K

116.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 $47.06

$45.09 COP 143.0K

4.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$6.97 COP 22.1K

85.22%

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

$807 $807

$790 COP 2.5M

2.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

111.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.69 $40.69

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-53.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.06 $38.06

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-34.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 $63.3

$139 COP 440.7K

-54.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 $99.4

$98.9 COP 313.5K

0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 $984

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 $812

$620 COP 2.0M

31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,881 COP 6.0M

13.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 $1,619

$1,008 COP 3.2M

60.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 $1,858

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-53.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$1,702 COP 5.4M

3.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,703 $3,703

$663 COP 2.1M

458.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.94

-38.30%

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

Last update for Monroe, LA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monroe, LA

$812 43.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 23.7% $193

Groceries & Markets

Monroe, LA

$325 17.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 8.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monroe, LA

$287 15.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 27.1% $78

Eating Out

Monroe, LA

$252 13.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 32.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Monroe, LA

$109 5.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 58.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Monroe, LA

$73 3.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 19% $14

Getting Around

Monroe, LA

$10 * 0.5%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 836% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $984 in Monroe, LA versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 458% higher in Monroe, LA, 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 $39.00 in Monroe, LA versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Monroe, LA vs $298 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monroe, LA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

Same time as Monroe, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,702

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monroe, LA Medellin 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monroe, LA
Medellin

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

Monroe, LA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monroe, LA is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,802 per month in Monroe, LA and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $39.00 in Monroe, LA and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Monroe, LA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Monroe, LA at $1,868. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monroe, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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