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Lima vs Medellín cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇵🇪 Lima
🇨🇴 Medellín
At a glance
- Where Medellín is clearly cheaper: Beer (41%↓), Coffee (38%↓), Local meal (28%↓)
- Where Lima is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (38%↓), Transit (19%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: getting around — Lima 3 vs Medellín 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Lima | Medellín | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | S/ 20$5.41 | COL$ 16,000$3.9 | Medellín −28% |
| Street food1 item | S/ 9$2.43 | COL$ 7,200$1.76 | Medellín −28% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | S/ 59$15.9 | COL$ 57,000$13.9 | Medellín −13% |
| Coffeeone cup | S/ 12$3.24 | COL$ 8,200$2 | Medellín −38% |
| Beerone bottle | S/ 10$2.7 | COL$ 6,500$1.59 | Medellín −41% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | S/ 26$7.03 | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | similar |
| Bottled water | S/ 2.2$0.59 | COL$ 2,500$0.61 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | S/ 3.5$0.95 | COL$ 3,500$0.85 | Medellín −10% |
| Taxi5 km in town | S/ 12$3.24 | COL$ 14,000$3.41 | Lima −5% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | S/ 8$2.16 | COL$ 9,000$2.2 | similar |
| Transitone ride | S/ 3.2$0.86 | COL$ 4,400$1.07 | Lima −19% |
| Scooter rentalper day | S/ 50$13.5 | COL$ 90,000$22 | Lima −38% |
| Hotel night3-star | S/ 200$54.1 | COL$ 200,000$48.8 | Medellín −10% |
| Studio rent (month) | S/ 1,750$473 | COL$ 2,200,000$537 | Lima −12% |
| Laundry | S/ 8$2.16 | COL$ 7,000$1.71 | Medellín −21% |
| SIM card1 week data | S/ 30$8.11 | COL$ 33,000$8.05 | similar |
| Haircutcut | S/ 30$8.11 | COL$ 25,000$6.1 | Medellín −25% |
| Massage1 hour | S/ 90$24.3 | COL$ 80,000$19.5 | Medellín −20% |
| Half-day tourper person | S/ 100$27 | COL$ 100,000$24.4 | Medellín −10% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | S/ 37$10 | COL$ 33,000$8.05 | Medellín −20% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Lima or Medellín?
Medellín is 7% cheaper than Lima. Daily budget $103 vs $89.6; a month $1,835 vs $1,812.
Which is easier to travel, Lima or Medellín?
About the same: Lima 3.0/5, Medellín 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Lima and Medellín?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Lima is about $1,835 and Medellín about $1,812 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.