Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abilene, TX versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Abilene, TX $2,186
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Abilene, TX versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Abilene, TX $3,178
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Abilene, TX versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Abilene, TX $4,169
Medellin $3,190

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 35% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abilene, TX 62% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$7.93 COP 25.2K

127.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$46.13 COP 146.3K

39.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-3.89%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.11 COP 9,866

75.88%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.83 COP 5,800

30.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.38 COP 4,360

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.05 COP 9,672

62.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.50 COP 17.4K

5.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.45 COP 4,600

-28.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.36 COP 7,496

-1.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.68 COP 5,328

235.12%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$2.86 COP 9,077

30.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-17.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$9.53 COP 30.2K

36.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$14.04 COP 44.5K

0.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-16.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.50 COP 4,742

-35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.17 COP 6,891

115.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.31 COP 7,310

129.44%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.93 COP 6,113

118.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.64 COP 5,196

114.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.13 COP 3,571

119.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.25 COP 3,954

56.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.99 COP 12.6K

46.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 $11.31

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.70 COP 5,384

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.37 COP 7,525

73.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.21 COP 3,827

41.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-30.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$8.47 COP 26.8K

75.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.30 COP 4,114

-33.85%

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

$19.1K $19.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-31.71%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-30.92%

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

$236 $236

$172 COP 545.6K

37.33%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$13.37 COP 42.4K

338.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$28.73 COP 91.1K

113.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.16 $20.16

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-55.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 $12.02

$6.28 COP 19.9K

91.40%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.11 $42.11

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-51.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.74 $19.74

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-65.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 $62.9

$137 COP 432.9K

-53.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$1,055 COP 3.3M

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 $981

$616 COP 2.0M

59.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-2.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,023 COP 3.2M

56.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,667 $1,667

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-58.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 $1,711

$1,678 COP 5.3M

1.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$652 COP 2.1M

402.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

10.94

-40.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 37.2% $366

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 19.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 39.9% $142

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 42.1% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 98.5% $84

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 55.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$44 2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 30.8% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Abilene, TX and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 403% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Abilene, TX vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

Same time as Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Abilene, TX Medellin 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Abilene, TX
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

Abilene, TX vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and Medellin differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $1,614 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 403% higher in Abilene, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Abilene, TX versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 44% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.