Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Houston, TX versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Houston, TX $2,625
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Houston, TX versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Houston, TX $3,794
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Houston, TX versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Houston, TX $4,963
Medellin $3,186

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 60% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houston, TX 93% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 $20.40

$8.09 COP 25.4K

152.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$47.05 COP 148.0K

59.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$9.50 COP 29.9K

3.37%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$3.01 COP 9,485

74.09%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.80 COP 5,660

51.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.41 COP 4,443

59.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.18 COP 9,990

94.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$5.75 COP 18.1K

38.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.51 COP 4,751

-44.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.38 COP 7,480

36.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.77 COP 5,573

131.64%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$2.89 COP 9,093

12.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$10.19 COP 32.1K

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$9.87 COP 31.1K

28.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$13.99 COP 44.0K

17.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.97 COP 12.5K

3.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.55 COP 4,883

-5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.18 COP 6,867

39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.18 COP 6,870

68.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.96 COP 6,174

11.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.59 COP 5,000

70.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.15 COP 3,604

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.24 COP 3,911

101.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$3.96 COP 12.5K

154.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 $14.47

$13.68 COP 43.0K

5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.66 COP 5,222

49.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.26 COP 7,104

28.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.17 COP 3,674

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-3.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.27 COP 3,989

124.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.05 COP 6,442

-27.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$8.55 COP 26.9K

179.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.35 COP 4,237

-28.15%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

1.05%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.90%

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

$198 $198

$170 COP 533.7K

16.63%

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

$65.2 $65.2

$13.55 COP 42.6K

380.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$28.07 COP 88.3K

168.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 $35.73

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.98 $20.98

$17.19 COP 54.1K

22.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$6.91 COP 21.7K

117.95%

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

$1,901 $1,901

$797 COP 2.5M

138.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K $22.1K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

143.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.81 $49.81

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-41.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.04 $47.04

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-18.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$135 COP 424.6K

-23.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 $1,742

$1,208 COP 3.8M

44.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$642 COP 2.0M

103.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 $3,449

$2,028 COP 6.4M

70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,012 COP 3.2M

103.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 $2,659

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-36.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,785 $1,785

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-6.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,293 $4,293

$657 COP 2.1M

553.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

10.94

-38.76%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 50.8% $662

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$373 14.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 20.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$338 12.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 37.6% $127

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$322 12.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 47.4% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$132 5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 27.7% $37

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$90 3.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 4.3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$66 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 12.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,742 in Houston, TX and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Houston, TX vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Houston, TX Medellin 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Houston, 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

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

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Houston, 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 Houston, TX is about 6.5 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: $1,742 in Houston, TX versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,625 in Houston, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Houston, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,639 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

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