Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Orleans, LA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,624 in New Orleans, LA, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in New Orleans, LA
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New Orleans, LA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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New Orleans, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,624

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Orleans, 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 New Orleans, LA and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,624 per month in New Orleans, LA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

New Orleans, LA $2,624
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,964 per month in New Orleans, LA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

New Orleans, LA $3,964
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,304 per month in New Orleans, LA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

New Orleans, LA $5,304
Medellin $3,186

New Orleans, LA costs about 60% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New Orleans, LA and Medellin sit above the global median – New Orleans, LA by 93%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.91 $25.91

$8.09 COP 26.1K

220.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$127 $127

$47.05 COP 151.7K

169.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$9.50 COP 30.6K

27.37%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.01 COP 9,722

79.07%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.80 COP 5,801

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.41 COP 4,554

51.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.18 COP 10.2K

86.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$5.75 COP 18.5K

38.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.51 COP 4,869

-7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.38 COP 7,667

72.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$1.77 COP 5,712

237.85%

Eggs

$5.33 $5.33

$2.89 COP 9,320

84.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$10.19 COP 32.9K

51.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$9.87 COP 31.8K

3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.75 $15.75

$13.99 COP 45.1K

12.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.97 COP 12.8K

27.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.55 COP 5,005

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.18 COP 7,039

146.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.18 COP 7,041

153.67%

Potato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.96 COP 6,328

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.59 COP 5,125

105.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.15 COP 3,694

99.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.24 COP 4,009

107.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$3.96 COP 12.8K

133.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 $16.66

$13.68 COP 44.1K

21.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.66 COP 5,352

48.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.26 COP 7,281

74.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.17 COP 3,766

8.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.42 $44.42

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-42.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.27 COP 4,089

181.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.05 COP 6,603

-28.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.19 $35.19

$8.55 COP 27.6K

311.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.35 COP 4,343

-31.11%

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

$32.7K $32.7K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-3.94%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-23.17%

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

$258 $258

$170 COP 547.0K

52.01%

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

$71.9 $71.9

$13.55 COP 43.7K

430.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$28.07 COP 90.5K

165.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.57 $47.57

$43.70 COP 140.9K

8.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.17 $43.17

$17.19 COP 55.4K

151.13%

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 $12.48

$6.91 COP 22.3K

80.61%

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

$1,515 $1,515

$797 COP 2.6M

90.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

11.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 $57.1

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-32.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.90 $43.90

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-24.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 $86.6

$135 COP 435.2K

-35.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$97.9 COP 315.6K

20.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 $1,842

$1,208 COP 3.9M

52.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 $1,133

$642 COP 2.1M

76.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,335 $3,335

$2,028 COP 6.5M

64.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 $1,803

$1,012 COP 3.3M

78.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,195 $5,195

$4,170 COP 13.4M

24.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,626 $1,626

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-14.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,053 $4,053

$657 COP 2.1M

516.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

10.94

-39.12%

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

Last update for New Orleans, LA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Orleans, LA

$1.1K 43.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 43.4% $491

Groceries & Markets

New Orleans, LA

$443 16.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 32.9% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Orleans, LA

$404 15.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 47.8% $193

Eating Out

New Orleans, LA

$374 14.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 54.6% $204

Clothing & Footwear

New Orleans, LA

$137 5.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 22.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

New Orleans, LA

$73 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 20.7% $15

Getting Around

New Orleans, LA

$60 2.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 54.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,842 in New Orleans, LA versus $1,208 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 in New Orleans, LA are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $127 in New Orleans, LA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $443 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Orleans, LA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h ahead of New Orleans, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

391,006

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Orleans, LA Medellin 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New Orleans, 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

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

Yes – New Orleans, LA is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in New Orleans, LA and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,842 in New Orleans, LA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $127 in New Orleans, LA and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,624 in New Orleans, LA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 38% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in New Orleans, LA at $2,624. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Orleans, 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Orleans, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.