✦ Compare
Lugano vs
Medellín
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Lugano, CH vs Medellín, CO at a glance — Medellín, CO is 67% cheaper than Lugano, CH overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $550/mo versus $1,800/mo. Top income tax: 39% vs 40%.
To keep the same standard of living in Medellín, CO, you'd need
$25,087 / year
Medellín, CO is 67% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Medellín, CO vs Lugano, CH)
- Housing-74%
- Food & groceries-68%
- Transport-65%
- Utilities-55%
- Healthcare-61%
- Goods & services-63%
◎ How Lugano, CH and Medellín, CO compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Lugano, CH | Medellín, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 147 | 49 |
| Housing | 160 | 42 |
| Food | 150 | 48 |
| Transport | 115 | 40 |
| Utilities | 122 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 140 | 55 |
| Goods & services | 155 | 58 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,800/mo | $550/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | — | $350/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | — | $1,100/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | — | $1,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $679 | $2,029 |
| Inexpensive meal | — | $5 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $40 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 40% | 39% |
| VAT / sales tax | 8.1% | 19% |
| Corporate tax | 15% | 35% |
| Capital gains | 0% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $6,000/mo | $450/mo |
| Minimum wage | — | $330/mo |
| GDP per capita | $114,769✓ | $6,976✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 0.2%✓ | 5.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | — | Low |
| Coworking spaces | — | 40 |
| Time zone | — | UTC-5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | — | 59 |
| Safety index | — | 48 |
| Healthcare index | — | 70 |
| Pollution index | — | 55 |
| Internet speed | — | 80 Mbps |
| Walkability | — | 55 |
| Public transport | — | 68 |
| Family-friendly | — | 58 |
| Tap water | — | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 74 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | — | +22 °C |
| July avg | — | +22 °C |
| Sunny days / year | — | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | — | 1,600 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | — | 1.5 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Switzerland vs Colombia. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Lugano vs Medellín — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Lugano
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Good to know before you move to Medellín
A dramatic turnaround story with a year-round spring climate and a modern metro. El Poblado and Laureles anchor a booming nomad scene; costs are low and healthcare excellent, but safety still varies sharply by neighbourhood.
- Currency
- Colombian peso ($ COP)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 80 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 110V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- El Poblado · Laureles · Envigado · Belén
Plan your move to Lugano
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Medellín
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Lugano to Medellín: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Lugano to Medellín, your cost of living will be roughly 67% cheaper. Medellín’s cost-of-living index is 49 versus 147 for Lugano (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Lugano cheaper than Medellín?
Medellín is about 67% cheaper than Lugano overall — its cost-of-living index is 49 versus 147 for Lugano.
Which is more expensive, Lugano or Medellín?
Lugano is more expensive than Medellín. Its cost-of-living index is 147 vs 49 (US = 100) — about 200% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Lugano or Medellín?
Rent is cheaper in Medellín — about $550/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,800 in Lugano.
How much do you need to earn in Medellín to live like in Lugano?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Lugano is worth about $25,087 in Medellín. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Lugano or Medellín?
Colombia has the lower top income-tax rate — 39% versus 40% in Switzerland.
◷ More comparisons from Lugano
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.