Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brownsville, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brownsville, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,752

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,752 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $1,752
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,612 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $2,612
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,472 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $3,472
Medellin $3,186

Brownsville, TX costs about 7% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Brownsville, TX and Medellin sit above the global median – Brownsville, TX by 29%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 $10.13

$8.09 COP 26.1K

25.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 $59.9

$47.05 COP 151.9K

27.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 $7.95

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-16.32%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$3.01 COP 9,735

33.89%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.80 COP 5,809

12.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.41 COP 4,561

42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.18 COP 10.3K

58.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-11.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.51 COP 4,876

-43.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.38 COP 7,678

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.77 COP 5,720

25.42%

Eggs

$2.83 $2.83

$2.89 COP 9,333

-2.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$9.87 COP 31.9K

30.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 $9.11

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-34.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-34.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.55 COP 5,012

47.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.18 COP 7,048

-23.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.18 COP 7,051

-9.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.96 COP 6,337

47.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.59 COP 5,132

-32.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.15 COP 3,699

-12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.24 COP 4,014

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 $9.57

$3.96 COP 12.8K

141.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-46.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.66 COP 5,359

23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.26 COP 7,291

-1.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.27 COP 4,094

226.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.05 COP 6,612

-62.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.35 COP 4,349

-36.30%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-15.13%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-29.84%

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

$162 $162

$170 COP 547.8K

-4.73%

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

$37.04 $37.04

$13.55 COP 43.8K

173.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$28.07 COP 90.6K

140.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.89 $49.89

$43.70 COP 141.1K

14.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 $11.78

$6.91 COP 22.3K

70.48%

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

$595 $595

$797 COP 2.6M

-25.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 $78.7

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-7.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.47 $44.47

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-23.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 $75.8

$135 COP 435.8K

-43.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 $944

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-21.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 $796

$642 COP 2.1M

24.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 $1,656

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-18.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$1,012 COP 3.3M

36.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-55.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,856 $1,856

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-2.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,159 $3,159

$657 COP 2.1M

380.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

10.94

-40.77%

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

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brownsville, TX

$796 45.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 19.4% $155

Groceries & Markets

Brownsville, TX

$271 15.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 9.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brownsville, TX

$266 15.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 20.6% $55

Eating Out

Brownsville, TX

$205 11.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 17.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Brownsville, TX

$133 7.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 27.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Brownsville, TX

$73 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 21.7% $16

Getting Around

Brownsville, TX

$8 * 0.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1071% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $944 in Brownsville, TX versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Brownsville, TX are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Brownsville, TX versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $271 in Brownsville, TX vs $297 in Medellin – so Brownsville, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

1 h ahead of Brownsville, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,738

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Brownsville, TX Medellin 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brownsville, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,628 per month in Brownsville, TX and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Brownsville, TX, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $944 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $595 per month in Brownsville, TX and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,752 in Brownsville, TX and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brownsville, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.