Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durango and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,051 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Durango
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Durango Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Durango

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,051

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,051 per month in Durango vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Durango $1,051
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,656 per month in Durango vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Durango $1,656
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,261 per month in Durango vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Durango $2,261
Medellin $3,190

Durango is about 35% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Durango sits 22% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 MX$135

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-7.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.58 MX$565

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-33.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 MX$194

$9.50 COP 30.1K

10.32%

Cappuccino

$1.95 MX$35.98

$3.11 COP 9,866

-37.30%

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

$1.15 MX$21.31

$1.83 COP 5,800

-37.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MX$14.07

$1.38 COP 4,360

-44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 MX$25.60

$3.05 COP 9,672

-54.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 MX$51.1

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-49.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MX$23.92

$1.45 COP 4,600

-11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$46.94

$2.36 COP 7,496

7.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 MX$22.95

$1.68 COP 5,328

-26.19%

Eggs

$2.27 MX$41.92

$2.86 COP 9,077

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 MX$149

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-20.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 MX$151

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-14.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 MX$174

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-33.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 MX$46.94

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-37.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.32

$1.50 COP 4,742

2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.46

$2.17 COP 6,891

-18.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 MX$21.10

$2.31 COP 7,310

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 MX$22.13

$1.93 COP 6,113

-37.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MX$23.69

$1.64 COP 5,196

-21.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 MX$14.54

$1.13 COP 3,571

-30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.51

$1.25 COP 3,954

-11.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 MX$67.1

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-9.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 MX$253

$13.35 COP 42.3K

2.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 MX$32.14

$1.70 COP 5,384

2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.37 COP 7,525

18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.74

$1.21 COP 3,827

-42.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 MX$20.91

$1.32 COP 4,179

-14.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 MX$34.45

$2.14 COP 6,774

-13.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.47 COP 26.8K

28.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.30 COP 4,114

9.23%

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

$19.4K MX$358.9K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-30.62%

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

$24.0K MX$443.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-32.26%

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

$59.1 MX$1,092

$172 COP 545.6K

-65.66%

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

$21.25 MX$393

$13.37 COP 42.4K

58.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.51 MX$508

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-4.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.49 MX$416

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-50.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.52 MX$176

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-44.13%

Cinema Ticket

$3.91 MX$72.2

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-37.74%

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

$177 MX$3,277

$770 COP 2.4M

-76.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,325 MX$43.0K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-74.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,027

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-35.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.30 MX$745

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-29.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,870

$137 COP 432.9K

-25.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 MX$1,677

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 MX$11.1K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-43.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,255

$616 COP 2.0M

-36.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 MX$19.5K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-44.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 MX$14.4K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-24.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,951 MX$36.0K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-51.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,076 MX$19.9K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-35.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$531 MX$9,814

$652 COP 2.1M

-18.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.3

10.94

12.43%

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

Last update for Durango: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durango

$393 37.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 56.8% $223

Groceries & Markets

Durango

$245 23.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 20.5% $50

Eating Out

Durango

$133 12.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 26.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Durango

$130 12.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 31.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durango

$108 10.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 98.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Durango

$30 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 90.8% $28

Getting Around

Durango

$13 * 1.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 606% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $601 in Durango versus $1,055 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 23% 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 $31.00 in Durango versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $295 – making Durango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Durango

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

1 h ahead of Durango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

518,709

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Durango Medellin 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Durango
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

Durango vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,051 in Durango, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,577 per month in Durango and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durango, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Durango and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Durango, where all-in costs run around $1,051, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Durango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,051 in Durango to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Durango. 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.