Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Juarez and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Juarez: $1,140 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
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Ciudad Juarez Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,140 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $1,140
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,839 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $1,839
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,538 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $2,538
Medellin $3,186

Ciudad Juarez is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ciudad Juarez sits 16% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.24 MX$174

$8.09 COP 26.1K

14.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.44 MX$610

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-31.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 MX$191

$9.50 COP 30.7K

6.95%

Cappuccino

$2.82 MX$52.9

$3.01 COP 9,735

-6.31%

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

$1.07 MX$20.07

$1.80 COP 5,809

-40.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 MX$13.08

$1.41 COP 4,561

-50.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 MX$38.21

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 MX$78.7

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-27.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MX$32.64

$1.51 COP 4,876

15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 MX$43.35

$2.38 COP 7,678

-2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.68

$1.77 COP 5,720

-10.73%

Eggs

$2.26 MX$42.56

$2.89 COP 9,333

-21.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 MX$237

$10.19 COP 32.9K

24.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 MX$125

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-32.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 MX$224

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-14.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$49.35

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-33.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.84

$1.55 COP 5,012

33.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.62

$2.18 COP 7,048

-17.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.69

$2.18 COP 7,051

-5.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.67

$1.96 COP 6,337

-16.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$41.08

$1.59 COP 5,132

37.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MX$29.27

$1.15 COP 3,699

35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.97

$1.24 COP 4,014

-14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$84.7

$3.96 COP 12.8K

13.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 MX$199

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-22.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.29

$1.66 COP 5,359

-25.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 MX$60.5

$2.26 COP 7,291

42.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.79

$1.17 COP 3,771

-46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.40 MX$515

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-64.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 MX$77.7

$1.27 COP 4,094

225.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MX$20.83

$2.05 COP 6,612

-45.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.00 MX$301

$8.55 COP 27.6K

87.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$25.01

$1.35 COP 4,349

-1.48%

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

$20.8K MX$391.8K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-38.81%

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

$24.2K MX$454.9K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-30.18%

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

$82.7 MX$1,554

$170 COP 547.8K

-51.27%

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

$22.53 MX$423

$13.55 COP 43.8K

66.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.53 MX$536

$28.07 COP 90.6K

1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.02 MX$602

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-26.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 MX$273

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-15.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 MX$81.8

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-37.05%

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

$218 MX$4,096

$797 COP 2.6M

-72.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,777 MX$52.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-69.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 MX$1,092

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-31.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.58 MX$612

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-43.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 MX$1,369

$135 COP 435.8K

-46.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 MX$1,524

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.4K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-49.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,218

$642 COP 2.1M

-40.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 MX$19.0K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-50.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$851 MX$16.0K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-15.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$955 MX$17.9K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-77.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$686 MX$12.9K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-64.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 MX$10.7K

$657 COP 2.1M

-13.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.32

10.94

3.47%

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

Last update for Ciudad Juarez: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad Juarez

$384 33.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 67% $257

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Juarez

$268 23.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 10.8% $29

Eating Out

Ciudad Juarez

$164 14.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 3.6% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Juarez

$134 11.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 58% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Juarez

$110 9.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 53.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Juarez

$41 3.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 41.3% $17

Getting Around

Ciudad Juarez

$40 3.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 136% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Ciudad Juarez 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 16% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Ciudad Juarez versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $297 – making Ciudad Juarez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

2 h ahead of Ciudad Juarez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,501,551

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

Ciudad Juarez Medellin 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad Juarez
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

Ciudad Juarez vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, $1,639 in Medellin – Ciudad Juarez comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,710 per month in Ciudad Juarez 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 Ciudad Juarez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Ciudad Juarez and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Ciudad Juarez about 30% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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