Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuauhtémoc and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuauhtémoc: $1,191 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Cuauhtémoc
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Cuauhtémoc Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $1,191
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,860 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $1,860
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,530 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $2,530
Medellin $3,249

Cuauhtémoc is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cuauhtémoc sits 12% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 MX$201

$8.34 COP 26.8K

29.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.33 MX$804

$46.53 COP 149.7K

-6.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 MX$155

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-12.04%

Cappuccino

$3.43 MX$63.7

$3.13 COP 10.1K

9.58%

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

$1.32 MX$24.55

$1.77 COP 5,681

-25.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.44

$1.42 COP 4,582

-26.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 MX$45.68

$3.15 COP 10.1K

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 MX$77.0

$5.70 COP 18.3K

-27.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.24

$1.53 COP 4,930

3.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$46.87

$2.29 COP 7,370

10.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.31

$1.94 COP 6,257

-12.89%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.66

$3.07 COP 9,864

-19.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MX$152

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-17.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$151

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-22.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 MX$208

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-19.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$49.13

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-34.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.52

$1.53 COP 4,916

-3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.57

$2.10 COP 6,769

-8.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.81

$2.29 COP 7,378

-20.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.79

$2.11 COP 6,785

-6.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.42

$1.71 COP 5,498

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.60

$1.17 COP 3,764

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.78

$1.58 COP 5,083

-32.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.7

$3.91 COP 12.6K

9.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.08 MX$187

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$32.91

$1.76 COP 5,667

0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MX$56.2

$2.71 COP 8,724

11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.48

$1.18 COP 3,795

-43.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.53 MX$567

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-59.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$48.74

$1.81 COP 5,812

45.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MX$35.31

$2.13 COP 6,849

-10.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.79 MX$200

$8.13 COP 26.2K

32.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.46

$1.28 COP 4,102

15.62%

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

$23.4K MX$433.5K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-32.17%

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

$23.8K MX$441.2K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-30.35%

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

$56.6 MX$1,050

$178 COP 571.7K

-68.18%

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

$22.47 MX$417

$13.89 COP 44.7K

61.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$544

$30.74 COP 98.9K

-4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.80 MX$590

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-24.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 MX$367

$16.80 COP 54.0K

17.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$92.4

$7.47 COP 24.0K

-33.33%

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

$212 MX$3,931

$790 COP 2.5M

-73.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,464 MX$82.8K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

-63.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$988

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-38.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.97 MX$742

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-32.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 MX$1,798

$138 COP 445.0K

-29.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 MX$1,628

$98.8 COP 317.8K

-11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 MX$11.0K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-55.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 MX$7,956

$667 COP 2.1M

-35.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 MX$18.8K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-48.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 MX$13.9K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-27.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,880 MX$34.9K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-54.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,105 MX$20.5K

$1,940 COP 6.2M

-43.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

10.94

3.38%

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

Last update for Cuauhtémoc: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuauhtémoc

$429 36%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 55.6% $238

Groceries & Markets

Cuauhtémoc

$259 21.7%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 18.9% $49

Eating Out

Cuauhtémoc

$183 15.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 5.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Cuauhtémoc

$125 10.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 37.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuauhtémoc

$108 9.1%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 105% $114

Getting Around

Cuauhtémoc

$45 3.8%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 106% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cuauhtémoc

$42 3.5%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 36.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $592 in Cuauhtémoc versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cuauhtémoc versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $307 – making Cuauhtémoc the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

23:39 11:39 PM

1 h ahead of Cuauhtémoc

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,884

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cuauhtémoc Medellin 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cuauhtémoc
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

Cuauhtémoc vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,786 per month in Cuauhtémoc and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuauhtémoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cuauhtémoc and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuauhtémoc, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Cuauhtémoc it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cuauhtémoc costs $1,191 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Cuauhtémoc is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.