Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irapuato and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Irapuato: $1,325 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Irapuato
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Irapuato Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Irapuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,325

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,325 in Irapuato versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Irapuato $1,325
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,071 in Irapuato versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Irapuato $2,071
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,816 in Irapuato versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Irapuato $2,816
Medellin $3,249

Living in Irapuato costs roughly 22% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Irapuato is 2% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.90 MX$205

$8.34 COP 26.9K

30.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.68 MX$895

$46.53 COP 150.3K

2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 MX$195

$9.47 COP 30.6K

9.61%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$72.6

$3.13 COP 10.1K

23.64%

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

$1.59 MX$29.88

$1.77 COP 5,705

-10.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.60

$1.42 COP 4,601

-15.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$3.15 COP 10.2K

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 MX$102

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MX$32.88

$1.53 COP 4,950

14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 MX$55.3

$2.29 COP 7,401

28.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.91

$1.94 COP 6,282

4.12%

Eggs

$2.76 MX$51.8

$3.07 COP 9,905

-10.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 MX$212

$9.99 COP 32.3K

13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 MX$182

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-6.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.38 MX$289

$13.96 COP 45.1K

10.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.3

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-20.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.10

$1.53 COP 4,937

32.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.14

$2.10 COP 6,797

-5.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.34

$2.29 COP 7,409

0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.27

$2.11 COP 6,813

-3.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.98

$1.71 COP 5,521

8.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.83

$1.17 COP 3,780

26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.70

$1.58 COP 5,104

-20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 MX$96.5

$3.91 COP 12.6K

31.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.07 MX$302

$14.04 COP 45.4K

14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 MX$37.02

$1.76 COP 5,690

11.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 MX$80.7

$2.71 COP 8,760

58.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.81

$1.18 COP 3,811

-46.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.39 MX$571

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-60.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 MX$34.67

$1.81 COP 5,836

2.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.85

$2.13 COP 6,878

-75.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 MX$102

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$23.72

$1.28 COP 4,119

-1.56%

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

$21.3K MX$400.1K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-38.13%

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

$24.3K MX$455.9K

$34.1K COP 110.3M

-28.87%

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

$62.4 MX$1,171

$178 COP 574.1K

-64.92%

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

$26.98 MX$507

$13.89 COP 44.9K

94.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.32 MX$663

$30.74 COP 99.3K

14.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.21 MX$605

$41.94 COP 135.5K

-23.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 MX$371

$16.80 COP 54.3K

17.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 MX$121

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-13.92%

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

$428 MX$8,046

$790 COP 2.6M

-45.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,607 MX$86.5K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-62.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.3 MX$1,283

$86.3 COP 278.9K

-20.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 MX$1,006

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,998

$138 COP 446.9K

-23.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,195

$98.8 COP 319.2K

18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 MX$11.3K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-55.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 MX$8,189

$667 COP 2.2M

-34.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 MX$19.2K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-48.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 MX$14.1K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-27.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 MX$35.5K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-53.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 MX$21.4K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-41.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$356 MX$6,688

$646 COP 2.1M

-44.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.94

3.75%

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

Last update for Irapuato: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Irapuato

$436 32.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 53% $231

Groceries & Markets

Irapuato

$324 24.4%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 5.1% $17

Eating Out

Irapuato

$203 15.3%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 14.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Irapuato

$155 11.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 10.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Irapuato

$125 9.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 78.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Irapuato

$45 3.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 26.2% $12

Getting Around

Irapuato

$37 2.8%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 150% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $601 in Irapuato and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Irapuato vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Irapuato

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h ahead of Irapuato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

452,090

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Irapuato Medellin 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Irapuato
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

Irapuato vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,325 in Irapuato and $1,692 in Medellin, so Irapuato is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Irapuato. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $601 in Irapuato versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,325 per month in Irapuato versus $1,692 in Medellin – Irapuato is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Irapuato 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 – Irapuato wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.