Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chihuahua and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,228 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,228

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Chihuahua vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Chihuahua $1,228
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,828 per month in Chihuahua vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Chihuahua $1,828
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,428 per month in Chihuahua vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Chihuahua $2,428
Medellin $3,186

Chihuahua is about 25% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Chihuahua sits 10% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 MX$203

$8.09 COP 25.6K

34.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 MX$600

$47.05 COP 148.9K

-31.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.91 MX$203

$9.50 COP 30.1K

14.84%

Cappuccino

$2.44 MX$45.48

$3.01 COP 9,540

-18.94%

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

$1.22 MX$22.78

$1.80 COP 5,693

-32.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.41 COP 4,469

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 MX$44.15

$3.18 COP 10.0K

-25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 MX$71.8

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-33.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.48

$1.51 COP 4,778

8.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 MX$58.8

$2.38 COP 7,524

32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.78

$1.77 COP 5,606

11.30%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$48.44

$2.89 COP 9,146

-10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 MX$172

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-9.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 MX$129

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-30.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.40 MX$231

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-11.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 MX$45.51

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-38.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.03

$1.55 COP 4,911

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.65

$2.18 COP 6,907

-9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 MX$50.3

$2.18 COP 6,910

23.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 MX$46.20

$1.96 COP 6,210

26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.06

$1.59 COP 5,029

62.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MX$24.38

$1.15 COP 3,625

13.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.80

$1.24 COP 3,934

-5.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 MX$82.2

$3.96 COP 12.5K

11.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 MX$189

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-25.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 MX$27.05

$1.66 COP 5,252

-12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.7

$2.26 COP 7,145

27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.80

$1.17 COP 3,696

-46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.17 MX$655

$77.4 COP 244.8K

-54.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MX$50.7

$1.27 COP 4,013

114.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 MX$13.58

$2.05 COP 6,480

-64.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.76 MX$182

$8.55 COP 27.1K

14.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.43

$1.35 COP 4,262

8.89%

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

$23.4K MX$436.8K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-31.18%

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

$23.5K MX$437.0K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-32.34%

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

$81.3 MX$1,514

$170 COP 536.8K

-52.09%

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

$20.75 MX$386

$13.55 COP 42.9K

53.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.96 MX$428

$28.07 COP 88.8K

-18.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.70 MX$535

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-34.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.92 MX$297

$17.19 COP 54.4K

-7.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.75 MX$88.5

$6.91 COP 21.9K

-31.26%

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

$264 MX$4,914

$797 COP 2.5M

-66.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,304 MX$61.6K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

-63.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.00 MX$894

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-43.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.12 MX$449

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-58.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 MX$1,860

$135 COP 427.1K

-26.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 MX$1,621

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-11.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 MX$11.0K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-50.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 MX$8,445

$642 COP 2.0M

-29.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 MX$19.9K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-47.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$693 MX$12.9K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-31.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,329 MX$62.0K

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-20.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,095 MX$20.4K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-42.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$838 MX$15.6K

$657 COP 2.1M

27.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.84

10.94

-0.91%

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

Last update for Chihuahua: 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

Chihuahua

$453 36.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 41.5% $188

Groceries & Markets

Chihuahua

$274 22.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 8.5% $23

Eating Out

Chihuahua

$177 14.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 4% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chihuahua

$125 10.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 69% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Chihuahua

$117 9.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 45% $52

Getting Around

Chihuahua

$44 3.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 112% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chihuahua

$38 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 50.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $593 in Chihuahua 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 run about 27% higher in Chihuahua, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Chihuahua versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $297 – making Chihuahua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

1 h ahead of Chihuahua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

925,762

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chihuahua Medellin 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chihuahua
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

Chihuahua vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 34% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,841 per month in Chihuahua 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 Chihuahua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $264 per month in Chihuahua and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,228 in Chihuahua and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chihuahua – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chihuahua is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.