Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atotonilco el Alto and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Atotonilco el Alto: $1,224 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
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Atotonilco el Alto Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Atotonilco el Alto $1,224
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Atotonilco el Alto $1,963
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Atotonilco el Alto $2,703
Medellin $3,186

Living in Atotonilco el Alto costs roughly 25% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Atotonilco el Alto is 10% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 MX$198

$8.09 COP 26.1K

30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 MX$1,187

$47.05 COP 151.9K

34.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 MX$172

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-3.58%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$69.0

$3.01 COP 9,734

22.26%

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

$1.53 MX$28.73

$1.80 COP 5,809

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$1.41 COP 4,560

-26.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-0.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 MX$103

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-4.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$36.06

$1.51 COP 4,875

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$49.47

$2.38 COP 7,677

10.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.85

$1.77 COP 5,719

11.30%

Eggs

$2.70 MX$50.5

$2.89 COP 9,332

-6.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 MX$161

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-15.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 MX$167

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-9.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.63 MX$255

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MX$64.8

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-12.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.56

$1.55 COP 5,011

5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.99

$2.18 COP 7,047

0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.98

$2.18 COP 7,050

-11.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.56

$1.96 COP 6,336

-8.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.77

$1.59 COP 5,131

13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.13

$1.15 COP 3,698

26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.56

$1.24 COP 4,014

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MX$83.6

$3.96 COP 12.8K

12.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 MX$326

$13.68 COP 44.2K

27.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 MX$39.17

$1.66 COP 5,359

25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 MX$74.4

$2.26 COP 7,290

75.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.77

$1.17 COP 3,770

-46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 MX$614

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-57.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 MX$59.6

$1.27 COP 4,094

150.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 MX$49.39

$2.05 COP 6,611

28.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.88 MX$204

$8.55 COP 27.6K

27.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$28.01

$1.35 COP 4,348

10.37%

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

$24.6K MX$460.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-27.86%

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

$23.2K MX$434.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-33.14%

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

$56.9 MX$1,065

$170 COP 547.7K

-66.49%

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

$26.54 MX$497

$13.55 COP 43.7K

95.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 MX$456

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-13.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.94 MX$580

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-29.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.94 MX$411

$17.19 COP 55.5K

27.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 MX$137

$6.91 COP 22.3K

5.64%

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

$257 MX$4,822

$797 COP 2.6M

-67.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,041 MX$94.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-44.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 MX$988

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-37.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.51 MX$834

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-23.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,876

$135 COP 435.7K

-25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 MX$1,791

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,725

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-57.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,317

$642 COP 2.1M

-39.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 MX$21.7K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-42.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 MX$12.5K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-34.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,623 MX$30.4K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-61.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,218 MX$22.8K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-36.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

10.94

9.60%

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

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 64.3% $251

Groceries & Markets

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 2.1% $6.4

Eating Out

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 12.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 28.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 96.1% $104

Getting Around

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 81.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 26.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $519 in Atotonilco el Alto and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Atotonilco el Alto vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

1 h ahead of Atotonilco el Alto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,874

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Atotonilco el Alto Medellin 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Atotonilco el Alto
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

Atotonilco el Alto vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Atotonilco el Alto is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $519 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $257 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $63 in Atotonilco el Alto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Atotonilco el Alto but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Atotonilco el Alto 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.