Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,120 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,120 per month in El Paso, TX vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

El Paso, TX $2,120
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,183 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

El Paso, TX $3,183
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,246 per month in El Paso, TX vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

El Paso, TX $4,246
Medellin $3,186

El Paso, TX costs about 29% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both El Paso, TX and Medellin sit above the global median – El Paso, TX by 56%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.60 $18.60

$8.09 COP 26.1K

129.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 $78.2

$47.05 COP 151.9K

66.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 $12.23

$9.50 COP 30.7K

28.74%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.01 COP 9,735

102.99%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.80 COP 5,809

32.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.41 COP 4,561

10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.82 $5.82

$3.18 COP 10.3K

83.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$5.75 COP 18.6K

18.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.51 COP 4,876

-42.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.38 COP 7,678

26.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.77 COP 5,720

39.55%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$2.89 COP 9,333

24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$10.19 COP 32.9K

18.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 $11.74

$9.87 COP 31.9K

18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-6.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.55 COP 5,012

-5.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.18 COP 7,048

19.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.18 COP 7,051

63.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.96 COP 6,337

10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.59 COP 5,132

77.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.15 COP 3,699

53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.24 COP 4,014

26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 $9.86

$3.96 COP 12.8K

148.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.78 $9.78

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-28.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.66 COP 5,359

21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.26 COP 7,291

117.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.17 COP 3,771

29.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.34 $48.34

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-37.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.27 COP 4,094

31.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.05 COP 6,612

-33.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.43 $27.43

$8.55 COP 27.6K

220.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.35 COP 4,349

-32.59%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-19.07%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-25.80%

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

$162 $162

$170 COP 547.8K

-4.72%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$13.55 COP 43.8K

435.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$28.07 COP 90.6K

140.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.51 $17.51

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-59.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.44 $8.44

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-50.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$6.91 COP 22.3K

75.83%

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

$689 $689

$797 COP 2.6M

-13.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,862 $6,862

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-24.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.41 $46.41

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-45.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 $35.88

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-38.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$135 COP 435.8K

-23.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 $178

$97.9 COP 316.0K

82.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 $1,050

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 $904

$642 COP 2.1M

40.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-22.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$1,012 COP 3.3M

47.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,983 $1,983

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-52.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,681 $1,681

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-11.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 $3,323

$657 COP 2.1M

405.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

10.94

-40.49%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso, TX

$904 42.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 29% $262

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$329 15.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 9.8% $32

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$317 15%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.6% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$302 14.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 29.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$164 7.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.2% $5.2

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 48.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$42 2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 37.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,050 in El Paso, TX 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 in El Paso, TX are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in El Paso, TX versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

2 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 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).

COP to USD in detail →

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El Paso, TX Medellin 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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El Paso, TX
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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

El Paso, TX vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX costs about 29% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,180 per month in El Paso, TX 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 El Paso, TX, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,050 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,120 in El Paso, TX and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 38% less in El Paso, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,120 in El Paso, TX and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,120 in El Paso, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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