Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiquimula and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiquimula: $819 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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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Chiquimula

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$819

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $819 per month in Chiquimula vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Chiquimula $819
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,358 per month in Chiquimula vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Chiquimula $1,358
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Chiquimula vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Chiquimula $1,896
Medellin $3,190

Chiquimula is about 49% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Chiquimula sits 39% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.03 Q 69.1

$7.93 COP 25.2K

13.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.4 Q 393

$46.13 COP 146.3K

11.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 Q 65.3

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-10.11%

Cappuccino

$4.03 Q 30.82

$3.11 COP 9,866

29.58%

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

$2.10 Q 16.09

$1.83 COP 5,800

14.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$1.38 COP 4,360

10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 Q 29.07

$3.05 COP 9,672

24.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 Q 44.28

$5.50 COP 17.4K

5.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 Q 15.56

$1.45 COP 4,600

40.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 Q 28.67

$2.36 COP 7,496

58.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 Q 14.57

$1.68 COP 5,328

13.69%

Eggs

$2.36 Q 18.05

$2.86 COP 9,077

-17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 Q 40.59

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-47.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.73 Q 105

$9.53 COP 30.2K

44.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 Q 77.8

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-27.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 Q 38.39

$4.07 COP 12.9K

23.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 Q 18.11

$1.50 COP 4,742

58.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.22 Q 39.87

$2.17 COP 6,891

140.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 Q 12.01

$2.31 COP 7,310

-32.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 Q 14.82

$1.93 COP 6,113

0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 Q 13.23

$1.64 COP 5,196

5.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 Q 10.16

$1.13 COP 3,571

17.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 Q 10.42

$1.25 COP 3,954

8.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 Q 29.61

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-3.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 Q 59.1

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-42.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 Q 21.58

$1.70 COP 5,384

65.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 Q 28.73

$2.37 COP 7,525

58.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 Q 36.00

$1.32 COP 4,179

256.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.19

$1.30 COP 4,114

2.31%

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

$22.4K Q 171.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-19.86%

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

$21.8K Q 166.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-38.46%

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

$57.9 Q 443

$172 COP 545.6K

-66.35%

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

$38.55 Q 295

$13.37 COP 42.4K

188.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 Q 475

$28.73 COP 91.1K

116.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.21 Q 62.8

$6.28 COP 19.9K

30.73%

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

$545 Q 4,170

$770 COP 2.4M

-29.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K Q 106.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

55.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.70 Q 334

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-49.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 Q 411

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-5.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 Q 708

$137 COP 432.9K

-32.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 Q 610

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-18.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Chiquimula: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiquimula

–

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Groceries & Markets

Chiquimula

–

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiquimula

–

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Chiquimula

–

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Eating Out

Chiquimula

–

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Getting Around

Chiquimula

–

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Chiquimula

–

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Chiquimula versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chiquimula

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

1 h ahead of Chiquimula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,815

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiquimula Medellin 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiquimula
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

Chiquimula vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,228 per month in Chiquimula and $2,421 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 $51.0 in Chiquimula and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chiquimula, where all-in costs run around $819, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Chiquimula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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