Lima vs Medellín

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Lima, Peru
🇵🇪Peru

Lima

74Freedom Score#35Global rank$1,367Per month

The gastronomic capital of the Americas — Lima pairs world-class Miraflores dining and a Pacific cliffside lifestyle with South America's most underrated value, fast internet, and a growing creative scene.

Medellín, Colombia
🇨🇴Colombia

Medellín

57Freedom Score#89Global rank$1,500Per month

The City of Eternal Spring offers low cost, a booming expat scene, and perfect US market hour alignment — ideal for day traders.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpenseLimaMedellín
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$1,367✓$1,500
Rent, 1BR city centre$774✓$800
Meal, mid-range$12$6✓
Coworking deskper month$160$160
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper54.036.4✓

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasureLimaMedellín
Safety
52
65
Healthcare
72
70
Walkability
70
75
English spoken
42
55
Food & dining
92
80
Nightlife
78
100
Outdoors
65
82
Nomad community
62
90
Climate quality
52
82
Public transit
55
65

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureLimaMedellín
Freedom Score74/100✓57/100
Global rankof 100 cities#35✓#89
Internet100 Mbps120 Mbps✓
Average temperature66°F68°F
Air quality55/10065/100✓
Airport connectivity78/100✓70/100
Nomad visa90 days90 days
Headline tax rateon local income15%18%

Which should you choose?

Choose Lima if runs $133/mo cheaper, rent is $26/mo lower and the headline tax rate is lower.

Choose Medellín if internet is faster at 120 Mbps, it scores higher on safety (65 vs 52), it is more walkable and English is more widely spoken.

What each city is known for

Lima

  • Back-to-back World's 50 Best Restaurant wins — unmatched food scene
  • Fast 100 Mbps fiber and a growing Barranco/Miraflores creative hub
  • Pacific cliffside malecón living at a fraction of coastal-city prices
  • Perfect US market alignment — open at 10:30am local time

Medellín

  • Perfect US market hours — trade 9:30am–4pm without staying up late
  • Massive expat community in El Poblado neighborhood
  • Eternal spring climate — 72°F year-round, no AC needed
  • Foreign income not taxed under 183-day rule

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Lima or Medellín?
Lima scores higher on the Freedom Score (74/100 against 57/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Lima or Medellín?
Lima is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $1,367 against $1,500, a difference of $133 a month or about $1,596 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $774/mo in Lima versus $800/mo in Medellín.
Which is safer: Lima or Medellín?
Medellín scores higher on safety, 65/100 against 52/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Lima and Medellín?
Lima averages 100 Mbps and Medellín averages 120 Mbps, so Medellín has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Lima or Medellín?
Lima sits in Peru (90 days) and Medellín in Colombia (90 days). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.