Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chimaltenango and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $750 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$750

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $750 per month in Chimaltenango vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Chimaltenango $750
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,252 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,252
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,753 per month in Chimaltenango vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,753
Medellin $3,186

Chimaltenango is about 54% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Chimaltenango sits 45% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 Q 52.9

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-14.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.84 Q 381

$47.05 COP 151.7K

5.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 Q 60.1

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-17.26%

Cappuccino

$3.30 Q 25.23

$3.01 COP 9,722

9.63%

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

$1.11 Q 8.49

$1.80 COP 5,801

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 Q 7.01

$1.41 COP 4,554

-34.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 Q 25.52

$3.18 COP 10.2K

5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 Q 35.56

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 Q 15.20

$1.51 COP 4,869

31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 Q 23.75

$2.38 COP 7,667

30.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 Q 15.66

$1.77 COP 5,712

15.82%

Eggs

$2.41 Q 18.45

$2.89 COP 9,320

-16.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 Q 47.63

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-38.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 Q 74.0

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-1.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 Q 102

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-4.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 Q 30.23

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$1.55 COP 5,005

11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 Q 22.21

$2.18 COP 7,039

33.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.52

$2.18 COP 7,041

-24.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 Q 11.41

$1.96 COP 6,328

-23.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 Q 16.01

$1.59 COP 5,125

31.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 Q 5.32

$1.15 COP 3,694

-39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.12

$1.24 COP 4,009

-4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 Q 31.76

$3.96 COP 12.8K

5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 Q 62.9

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-39.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Q 13.36

$1.66 COP 5,352

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 Q 19.76

$2.26 COP 7,281

14.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 Q 40.62

$1.27 COP 4,089

318.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.37 Q 79.2

$8.55 COP 27.6K

21.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 Q 10.10

$1.35 COP 4,343

-2.22%

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

$27.3K Q 208.7K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-19.81%

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

$25.3K Q 193.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-27.10%

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

$72.4 Q 554

$170 COP 547.0K

-57.30%

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

$28.72 Q 219

$13.55 COP 43.7K

111.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.00 Q 351

$28.07 COP 90.5K

63.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 Q 51.0

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-3.47%

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

$333 Q 2,548

$797 COP 2.6M

-58.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,742 Q 51.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-26.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 Q 384

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-40.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 Q 363

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-18.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 Q 916

$135 COP 435.2K

-11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 874

$97.9 COP 315.6K

16.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

10.94

6.22%

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

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chimaltenango

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Chimaltenango

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chimaltenango

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Chimaltenango

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Chimaltenango

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Chimaltenango

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Chimaltenango

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Chimaltenango versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $282 in Chimaltenango vs $297 in Medellin – so Chimaltenango wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

1 h ahead of Chimaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,900

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chimaltenango Medellin 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chimaltenango
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

Chimaltenango vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 119% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,125 per month in Chimaltenango and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Chimaltenango and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $750 in Chimaltenango to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.