Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,100 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,100

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,100 in College Station, TX versus $1,625 in Medellin.

College Station, TX $2,100
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,153 in College Station, TX versus $2,412 in Medellin.

College Station, TX $3,153
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,207 in College Station, TX versus $3,199 in Medellin.

College Station, TX $4,207
Medellin $3,199

Living in College Station, TX is roughly 29% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: College Station, TX 55% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$8.30 COP 26.3K

80.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$46.91 COP 148.7K

66.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$9.24 COP 29.3K

30.74%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.05 COP 9,676

76.72%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.80 COP 5,707

64.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.38 COP 4,382

30.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.24 COP 10.3K

55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 $7.36

$5.56 COP 17.6K

32.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.50 COP 4,760

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.37 COP 7,508

32.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.70 COP 5,377

122.94%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.96 COP 9,379

-1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.22 COP 32.4K

15.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.74 COP 30.9K

0.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-6.76%

Apples (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$4.13 COP 13.1K

53.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.53 COP 4,839

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.22 COP 7,052

189.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.27 COP 7,194

117.62%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.99 COP 6,311

104.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.67 COP 5,285

78.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.18 COP 3,742

49.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.24 COP 3,919

45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$3.87 COP 12.3K

155.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 $13.84

$13.78 COP 43.7K

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.66 COP 5,256

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.40 COP 7,615

60.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.24 COP 3,944

-17.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.29 $20.29

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-74.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 $10.08

$1.28 COP 4,044

687.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.15 COP 6,803

-11.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 $59.1

$8.37 COP 26.5K

606.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.35 COP 4,288

-31.85%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-20.69%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-24.33%

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

$180 $180

$167 COP 528.4K

8.22%

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

$40.02 $40.02

$13.62 COP 43.2K

193.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 $55.4

$29.12 COP 92.3K

90.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.85 $24.85

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-44.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 $17.24

$17.18 COP 54.5K

0.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 $11.16

$6.97 COP 22.1K

60.11%

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

$761 $761

$790 COP 2.5M

-3.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K $18.1K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

99.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-32.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.19 $38.19

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-34.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$139 COP 440.7K

-40.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$98.9 COP 313.5K

23.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 $1,131

$1,028 COP 3.3M

9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$620 COP 2.0M

52.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,008 COP 3.2M

57.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-45.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 $1,996

$1,702 COP 5.4M

17.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,396 $4,396

$663 COP 2.1M

562.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

10.94

-39.95%

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

Last update for College Station, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Station, TX

$945 45%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 34.5% $326

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$372 17.7%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 19.9% $74

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$280 13.3%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 38.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$276 13.1%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 24.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$136 6.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 26.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$47 2.3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 25.1% $12

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$44 2.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 117% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in College Station, TX and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 563% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $78.0 in College Station, TX vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

Same time as College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

College Station, TX Medellin 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

College Station, TX
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

College Station, TX vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in College Station, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 563% higher in College Station, TX, 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: $1,131 in College Station, TX versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 285% less than in College Station, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $761 in College Station, TX versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,100 in College Station, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in College Station, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in College Station, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.