Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Austin, TX $2,698
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Austin, TX $4,160
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Austin, TX $5,622
Medellin $3,199

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 66% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$8.30 COP 26.3K

148.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$46.91 COP 148.7K

80.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$9.24 COP 29.3K

30.63%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.05 COP 9,676

79.67%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.80 COP 5,707

111.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.38 COP 4,382

78.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.24 COP 10.3K

148.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$5.56 COP 17.6K

59.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.50 COP 4,760

-26.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.37 COP 7,508

56.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.70 COP 5,377

98.24%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.96 COP 9,379

45.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.22 COP 32.4K

28.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$9.74 COP 30.9K

45.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.90 COP 44.1K

17.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.13 COP 13.1K

10.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.53 COP 4,839

-4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.22 COP 7,052

112.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.27 COP 7,194

82.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.99 COP 6,311

29.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.67 COP 5,285

40.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.18 COP 3,742

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.24 COP 3,919

72.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.87 COP 12.3K

160.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.78 COP 43.7K

10.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.66 COP 5,256

69.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.40 COP 7,615

43.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.24 COP 3,944

24.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-47.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.28 COP 4,044

118.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.15 COP 6,803

-25.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$8.37 COP 26.5K

310.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.35 COP 4,288

-30.37%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-2.25%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-22.83%

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

$223 $223

$167 COP 528.4K

33.60%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$13.62 COP 43.2K

332.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$29.12 COP 92.3K

142.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$45.09 COP 143.0K

27.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-3.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.97 COP 22.1K

104.59%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$790 COP 2.5M

91.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

131.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-41.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-24.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$139 COP 440.7K

-37.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$98.9 COP 313.5K

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,028 COP 3.3M

88.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$620 COP 2.0M

112.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,881 COP 6.0M

94.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,008 COP 3.2M

154.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,988 COP 12.6M

84.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,702 COP 5.4M

83.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$663 COP 2.1M

696.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.94

-37.93%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 52.9% $697

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 26.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 40.5% $143

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 51.2% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 33.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 31.5% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 64.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 697% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

Same time as Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Between locations

Austin, TX Medellin 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, 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

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

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 697% higher in Austin, 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 91% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.