Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, MO and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,699 in Houston, MO, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Houston, MO
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Houston, MO Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Houston, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,699

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,699 in Houston, MO versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Houston, MO $2,699
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,960 in Houston, MO versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Houston, MO $3,960
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,221 in Houston, MO versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Houston, MO $5,221
Medellin $3,190

Living in Houston, MO is roughly 67% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houston, MO 100% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$7.93 COP 25.2K

127.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 $77.5

$46.13 COP 146.3K

68.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.09 $12.09

$9.50 COP 30.1K

27.26%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$3.11 COP 9,866

66.56%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.83 COP 5,800

32.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.38 COP 4,360

26.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.05 COP 9,672

83.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$5.50 COP 17.4K

30.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.45 COP 4,600

-14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.36 COP 7,496

61.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$1.68 COP 5,328

239.88%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$2.86 COP 9,077

36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$10.19 COP 32.3K

30.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.41 $15.41

$9.53 COP 30.2K

61.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.59 $20.59

$14.04 COP 44.5K

46.65%

Apples (1kg)

$8.21 $8.21

$4.07 COP 12.9K

101.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.50 COP 4,742

59.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.17 COP 6,891

155.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.31 COP 7,310

127.71%

Potato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.93 COP 6,113

123.83%

Onion (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.64 COP 5,196

202.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.13 COP 3,571

150.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.25 COP 3,954

125.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.24 $8.24

$3.99 COP 12.6K

106.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.35 COP 42.3K

13.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.70 COP 5,384

66.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.37 COP 7,525

35.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.21 COP 3,827

57.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.32 COP 4,179

157.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.14 COP 6,774

-25.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.87 $39.87

$8.47 COP 26.8K

370.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.30 COP 4,114

-22.31%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

27.64%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-30.83%

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

$244 $244

$172 COP 545.6K

41.55%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$13.37 COP 42.4K

410.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.7 $74.7

$28.73 COP 91.1K

159.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.02 $44.02

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-2.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 $13.93

$6.28 COP 19.9K

121.82%

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

$1,425 $1,425

$770 COP 2.4M

85.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

162.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 $58.8

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-31.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.41 $39.41

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-31.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 $87.1

$137 COP 432.9K

-36.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$97.9 COP 310.4K

21.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 $1,347

$1,055 COP 3.3M

27.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$616 COP 2.0M

109.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,488 $2,488

$1,892 COP 6.0M

31.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 $2,150

$1,023 COP 3.2M

110.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,726 $2,726

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-32.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,291 $2,291

$1,678 COP 5.3M

36.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

10.94

-38.57%

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

Last update for Houston, MO: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houston, MO

$1.3K 47.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 52.3% $676

Groceries & Markets

Houston, MO

$490 18.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 39.9% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, MO

$387 14.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 44.6% $172

Eating Out

Houston, MO

$302 11.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 44.3% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, MO

$137 5.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 24.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, MO

$72 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 19.6% $14

Getting Around

Houston, MO

$19 * 0.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 392% $74

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 $1,347 in Houston, MO and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78.0 in Houston, MO vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $490 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, MO

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

Same time as Houston, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Houston, MO Medellin 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Houston, MO
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

Houston, MO vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,049 in Houston, MO and $2,421 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,347 in Houston, MO versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,425 in Houston, MO versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $78.0 in Houston, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,699 in Houston, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Houston, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houston, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Houston, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.