Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between West Monroe, LA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,628 in West Monroe, LA, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in West Monroe, LA
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West Monroe, LA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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West Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,628

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,628 per month in West Monroe, LA vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

West Monroe, LA $2,628
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,851 per month in West Monroe, LA vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

West Monroe, LA $3,851
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $5,073 per month in West Monroe, LA vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

West Monroe, LA $5,073
Medellin $3,199

West Monroe, LA costs about 62% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both West Monroe, LA and Medellin sit above the global median – West Monroe, LA by 94%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 $17.14

$8.30 COP 26.3K

106.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 $75.9

$46.91 COP 148.7K

61.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 $10.79

$9.24 COP 29.3K

16.77%

Cappuccino

$5.11 $5.11

$3.05 COP 9,676

67.54%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.80 COP 5,707

36.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.38 COP 4,382

71.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.24 COP 10.3K

51.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 $4.18

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-24.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.50 COP 4,760

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.37 COP 7,508

17.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.70 COP 5,377

61.76%

Eggs

$3.55 $3.55

$2.96 COP 9,379

19.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$10.22 COP 32.4K

0.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 $11.84

$9.74 COP 30.9K

21.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.61 $18.61

$13.90 COP 44.1K

33.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-33.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.53 COP 4,839

-4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.22 COP 7,052

46.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.27 COP 7,194

-41.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.99 COP 6,311

7.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.67 COP 5,285

-19.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.18 COP 3,742

62.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.24 COP 3,919

54.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 $7.96

$3.87 COP 12.3K

105.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 $13.53

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.66 COP 5,256

4.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.40 COP 7,615

-27.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.24 COP 3,944

62.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.28 COP 4,044

89.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.15 COP 6,803

-29.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.27 $24.27

$8.37 COP 26.5K

189.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.35 COP 4,288

-28.15%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-23.22%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-23.70%

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

$220 $220

$167 COP 528.4K

32.06%

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

$60.4 $60.4

$13.62 COP 43.2K

343.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$29.12 COP 92.3K

134.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 $43.69

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-3.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 $12.94

$6.97 COP 22.1K

85.65%

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

$1,020 $1,020

$790 COP 2.5M

29.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

111.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-41.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.37 $38.37

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-34.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 $83.3

$139 COP 440.7K

-40.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$98.9 COP 313.5K

49.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,807 $1,807

$1,028 COP 3.3M

75.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 $1,433

$620 COP 2.0M

131.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,372 $2,372

$1,881 COP 6.0M

26.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 $2,457

$1,008 COP 3.2M

143.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,560 $2,560

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-35.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$1,702 COP 5.4M

45.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 West Monroe, LA: 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

West Monroe, LA

$1.4K 54.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 56.8% $814

Monthly Utilities & Internet

West Monroe, LA

$349 13.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 40% $139

Groceries & Markets

West Monroe, LA

$331 12.6%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 9.9% $33

Eating Out

West Monroe, LA

$283 10.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 39.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

West Monroe, LA

$144 5.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 19.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

West Monroe, LA

$70 2.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 15.1% $11

Getting Around

West Monroe, LA

$18 * 0.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 426% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,807 in West 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in West Monroe, LA versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 West Monroe, LA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as West Monroe, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,028

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

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Between locations

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

From you

West 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

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

Yes – West Monroe, LA is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,941 per month in West 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 $76.0 in West 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 11% more in West 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 West Monroe, LA at $2,628. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in West 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, West Monroe, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.