Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galveston, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,222 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Galveston, TX
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Galveston, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Galveston, TX vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Galveston, TX $2,222
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,215 per month in Galveston, TX vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Galveston, TX $3,215
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,209 per month in Galveston, TX vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Galveston, TX $4,209
Medellin $3,186

Galveston, TX costs about 36% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galveston, TX and Medellin sit above the global median – Galveston, TX by 63%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.04 $22.04

$8.09 COP 25.6K

172.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$47.05 COP 148.9K

62.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$9.50 COP 30.1K

27.58%

Cappuccino

$7.95 $7.95

$3.01 COP 9,540

164.12%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$1.80 COP 5,693

57.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.41 COP 4,469

25.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.18 COP 10.0K

61.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-29.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.51 COP 4,778

-46.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.38 COP 7,524

7.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.77 COP 5,606

58.76%

Eggs

$2.75 $2.75

$2.89 COP 9,146

-4.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$10.19 COP 32.2K

12.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-5.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.97 COP 12.6K

37.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.55 COP 4,911

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.18 COP 6,907

45.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.18 COP 6,910

72.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.96 COP 6,210

8.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.59 COP 5,029

57.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.15 COP 3,625

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.24 COP 3,934

44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.91 $9.91

$3.96 COP 12.5K

150.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.66 COP 5,252

7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.26 COP 7,145

-21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.17 COP 3,696

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.77 $32.77

$77.4 COP 244.8K

-57.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 $9.90

$1.27 COP 4,013

679.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.05 COP 6,480

-11.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 $60.6

$8.55 COP 27.1K

609.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.35 COP 4,262

-29.63%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-21.20%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-23.96%

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

$176 $176

$170 COP 536.8K

3.85%

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

$42.42 $42.42

$13.55 COP 42.9K

213.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.79 $39.79

$28.07 COP 88.8K

41.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.89 $34.89

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-20.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 $11.17

$6.91 COP 21.9K

61.65%

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

$759 $759

$797 COP 2.5M

-4.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K $18.2K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

100.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 $44.12

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-47.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 $38.49

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-33.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 $73.4

$135 COP 427.1K

-45.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 $81.1

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-17.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 $1,059

$642 COP 2.0M

65.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$2,028 COP 6.4M

4.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,012 COP 3.2M

56.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,698 $2,698

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-35.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,158 $2,158

$1,910 COP 6.0M

12.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 $4,045

$657 COP 2.1M

515.48%

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 Galveston, TX: 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

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 39.4% $418

Eating Out

Galveston, TX

$360 16.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.9% $191

Groceries & Markets

Galveston, TX

$320 14.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 7.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galveston, TX

$258 11.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 18.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Galveston, TX

$107 4.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 58.4% $62

Getting Around

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 57% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,186 in Galveston, 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 Galveston, TX are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Galveston, TX versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

Same time as Galveston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,695

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Galveston, TX Medellin 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Galveston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,222 in Galveston, TX, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Galveston, TX and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,186 in Galveston, TX and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,222 in Galveston, TX and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Galveston, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,222 in Galveston, 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 $2,222 in Galveston, 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, Galveston, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.