Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Celaya and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Celaya: $903 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Celaya
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Celaya Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Celaya

🇲🇽 Mexico

$903

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $903 in Celaya versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Celaya $903
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Celaya versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Celaya $1,423
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Celaya versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Celaya $1,944
Medellin $3,186

Living in Celaya costs roughly 45% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Celaya is 34% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 MX$233

$8.09 COP 26.1K

53.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 MX$820

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-7.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 MX$131

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-26.53%

Cappuccino

$3.18 MX$59.7

$3.01 COP 9,735

5.65%

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

$1.17 MX$22.02

$1.80 COP 5,809

-35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.52

$1.41 COP 4,561

-22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 MX$39.70

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-33.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MX$59.0

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-45.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.60

$1.51 COP 4,876

-5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 MX$40.11

$2.38 COP 7,678

-10.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.17

$1.77 COP 5,720

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.16 MX$40.66

$2.89 COP 9,333

-25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 MX$149

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-22.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$153

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-17.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.44 MX$215

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-18.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.82

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-45.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 MX$20.05

$1.55 COP 5,012

-30.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MX$27.34

$2.18 COP 7,048

-33.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MX$20.08

$2.18 COP 7,051

-50.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.58

$1.96 COP 6,337

-19.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.69

$1.59 COP 5,132

-13.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 MX$19.03

$1.15 COP 3,699

-12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 MX$14.56

$1.24 COP 4,014

-37.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$80.0

$3.96 COP 12.8K

7.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 MX$161

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-37.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.35

$1.66 COP 5,359

6.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$63.1

$2.26 COP 7,291

48.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.61

$1.17 COP 3,771

-47.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.20 MX$511

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-64.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MX$23.06

$1.27 COP 4,094

-3.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 MX$20.20

$2.05 COP 6,612

-47.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.98 MX$206

$8.55 COP 27.6K

28.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.29

$1.35 COP 4,349

7.41%

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

$23.9K MX$449.7K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-29.76%

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

$23.6K MX$442.6K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-32.08%

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

$35.91 MX$675

$170 COP 547.8K

-78.83%

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

$18.80 MX$353

$13.55 COP 43.8K

38.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.77 MX$353

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-33.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 MX$595

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-27.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.10 MX$509

$17.19 COP 55.5K

57.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 MX$91.7

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-29.38%

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

$213 MX$3,999

$797 COP 2.6M

-73.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,823 MX$53.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-69.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$1,001

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-37.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.46 MX$723

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-33.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,896

$135 COP 435.8K

-25.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 MX$1,326

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 MX$4,635

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-79.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 MX$4,109

$642 COP 2.1M

-65.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 MX$7,064

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-81.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 MX$5,226

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-72.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 MX$15.1K

$657 COP 2.1M

22.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

10.94

2.38%

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

Last update for Celaya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Celaya

$231 25.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 28.6% $66

Accommodation & Living

Celaya

$219 24.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 193% $423

Eating Out

Celaya

$184 20.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 7.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Celaya

$118 13.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 42.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Celaya

$73 8.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 188% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Celaya

$41 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 38.9% $16

Getting Around

Celaya

$36 4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 158% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $247 in Celaya and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Celaya pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Celaya vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $297 per month, with Celaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Celaya

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

1 h ahead of Celaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

378,143

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Celaya Medellin 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Celaya
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

Celaya vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $903 in Celaya and $1,639 in Medellin, so Celaya is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Celaya, 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: $247 in Celaya versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Celaya – a meal for two runs $44 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $903 per month in Celaya versus $1,639 in Medellin – Celaya is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $903 in Celaya versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Celaya but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Celaya 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 Celaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.