Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tripoli and Medellin

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.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$538

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $538 per month in Tripoli vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Tripoli $538
Medellin $1,625

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

Tripoli $812
Medellin $2,412

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

Tripoli $1,087
Medellin $3,199

Tripoli is about 67% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 LYD 24.48

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-53.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.79 LYD 101

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-66.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.60 LYD 16.69

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-71.86%

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

$0.44 LYD 2.83

$3.05 COP 9,676

-85.57%

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

$0.42 LYD 2.68

$1.80 COP 5,707

-76.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 LYD 0.63

$1.38 COP 4,382

-92.75%

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)

$0.97 LYD 6.25

$1.50 COP 4,760

-35.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$2.37 COP 7,508

-91.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 LYD 7.62

$1.70 COP 5,377

-30.00%

Eggs

$1.38 LYD 8.83

$2.96 COP 9,379

-53.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 LYD 34.13

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-47.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 LYD 23.16

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-62.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 LYD 58.7

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-34.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 LYD 14.29

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-46.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 LYD 9.57

$1.53 COP 4,839

-2.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.71 LYD 4.54

$2.22 COP 7,052

-68.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 LYD 3.55

$2.27 COP 7,194

-75.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 LYD 4.94

$1.99 COP 6,311

-61.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 LYD 3.14

$1.67 COP 5,285

-70.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 LYD 2.51

$1.18 COP 3,742

-66.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 LYD 1.31

$1.24 COP 3,919

-83.87%

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)

$1.91 LYD 12.24

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-50.65%

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)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

$1.24 COP 3,944

-75.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 LYD 5.10

$1.28 COP 4,044

-37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 LYD 3.09

$2.15 COP 6,803

-77.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$1.35 COP 4,288

-98.52%

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

$23.6K LYD 151.3K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-32.06%

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

$21.0K LYD 134.7K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-39.40%

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

$93.1 LYD 597

$167 COP 528.4K

-44.14%

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

$6.05 LYD 38.75

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-55.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.35 LYD 175

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-6.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.58 LYD 158

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-45.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-86.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

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

$53.1 LYD 340

$790 COP 2.5M

-93.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,534 LYD 9,830

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-83.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 LYD 145

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-74.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.61 LYD 113

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-69.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 LYD 406

$139 COP 440.7K

-54.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 LYD 430

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 LYD 2,251

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-65.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 LYD 917

$620 COP 2.0M

-76.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 LYD 3,968

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-67.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 LYD 1,655

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-74.36%

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)

$257 LYD 1,646

$663 COP 2.1M

-61.29%

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 Tripoli: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tripoli

$143 26.6%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 333% $476

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tripoli

$126 23.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 65.5% $83

Groceries & Markets

Tripoli

$117 21.7%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 156% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Tripoli

$77 14.3%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 125% $96

Eating Out

Tripoli

$46 8.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 274% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 140% $34

Getting Around

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 2063% $91

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

05:50 5:50 AM

7 h behind Tripoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,127,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

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).

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).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tripoli Medellin 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tripoli
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

Tripoli vs Medellin: 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 $807 per month in Tripoli 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 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 $16.00 in Tripoli 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 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.