Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlingen, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,864 in Harlingen, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Harlingen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,864

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,864 in Harlingen, TX versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Harlingen, TX $1,864
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,525 in Harlingen, TX versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Harlingen, TX $2,525
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,187 in Harlingen, TX versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Harlingen, TX $3,187
Medellin $3,186

Living in Harlingen, TX is roughly 14% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harlingen, TX 37% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 $12.35

$8.09 COP 26.1K

52.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.75 $47.75

$47.05 COP 151.7K

1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 $8.06

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-15.16%

Cappuccino

$4.40 $4.40

$3.01 COP 9,722

46.18%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$1.80 COP 5,801

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.41 COP 4,554

42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.18 COP 10.2K

53.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-20.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.51 COP 4,869

-35.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.38 COP 7,667

24.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.77 COP 5,712

158.76%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$2.89 COP 9,320

20.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$9.87 COP 31.8K

27.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 $15.03

$13.99 COP 45.1K

7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$3.97 COP 12.8K

25.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.55 COP 5,005

-14.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.18 COP 7,039

51.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.18 COP 7,041

-4.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.96 COP 6,328

54.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.59 COP 5,125

67.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.15 COP 3,694

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.24 COP 4,009

70.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.79 $9.79

$3.96 COP 12.8K

147.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.85 $15.85

$13.68 COP 44.1K

15.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.66 COP 5,352

27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.26 COP 7,281

0.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.27 COP 4,089

228.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.05 COP 6,603

-61.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.35 COP 4,343

-37.78%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-13.81%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-29.23%

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

$163 $163

$170 COP 547.0K

-3.78%

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

$36.82 $36.82

$13.55 COP 43.7K

171.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.96 $49.96

$28.07 COP 90.5K

77.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 $12.10

$6.91 COP 22.3K

75.11%

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

$779 $779

$797 COP 2.6M

-2.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 $77.8

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-8.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 $44.87

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-22.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 $75.6

$135 COP 435.2K

-44.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 $94.2

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$840 $840

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-30.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 $865

$642 COP 2.1M

34.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 $1,375

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-32.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$1,012 COP 3.3M

2.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,900 $1,900

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-54.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,892 $1,892

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-0.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,073 $4,073

$657 COP 2.1M

519.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

10.94

-40.77%

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

Last update for Harlingen, TX: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harlingen, TX

$865 46.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 25.9% $224

Groceries & Markets

Harlingen, TX

$360 19.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 17.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlingen, TX

$250 13.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 15.5% $39

Eating Out

Harlingen, TX

$225 12.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 24.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Harlingen, TX

$132 7.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 28.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Harlingen, TX

$24 * 1.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 138% $33

Getting Around

Harlingen, TX

$8 * 0.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1064% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $840 in Harlingen, TX and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlingen, TX pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Harlingen, TX vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Harlingen, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

14:50 2:50 PM

1 h ahead of Harlingen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,829

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 = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harlingen, TX Medellin 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Harlingen, 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

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

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Harlingen, 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 in Harlingen, TX is about 6.2 times higher, 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: $840 in Harlingen, TX versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,864 per month in Harlingen, TX versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Harlingen, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Harlingen, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.