Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Cruces, NM and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,085 in Las Cruces, NM, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Las Cruces, NM
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Las Cruces, NM Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,085

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,085 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $2,085
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,045 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $3,045
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $4,004
Medellin $3,249

Las Cruces, NM costs about 23% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Las Cruces, NM and Medellin sit above the global median – Las Cruces, NM by 54%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 $17.44

$8.34 COP 26.9K

109.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.67 $44.67

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-4.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$9.47 COP 30.6K

27.56%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$3.13 COP 10.1K

85.30%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.77 COP 5,704

41.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.42 COP 4,600

47.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.51 $6.51

$3.15 COP 10.2K

106.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.19 $9.19

$5.70 COP 18.4K

61.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.53 COP 4,949

-48.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.29 COP 7,399

57.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.94 COP 6,281

91.24%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$3.07 COP 9,902

52.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$9.99 COP 32.3K

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 $11.95

$10.45 COP 33.7K

14.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 $17.43

$13.96 COP 45.1K

24.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$4.05 COP 13.1K

6.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.53 COP 4,936

32.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.10 COP 6,795

59.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.29 COP 7,407

69.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.11 COP 6,812

6.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.71 COP 5,519

41.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.17 COP 3,779

51.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.58 COP 5,102

16.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 $10.82

$3.91 COP 12.6K

176.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$14.04 COP 45.4K

6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.76 COP 5,689

32.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.71 COP 8,758

28.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.81 COP 5,835

26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.13 COP 6,876

8.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.28 COP 4,118

-27.34%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-19.21%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-28.90%

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

$171 $171

$178 COP 573.9K

-4.02%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$13.89 COP 44.8K

324.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 $87.7

$30.74 COP 99.3K

185.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.18 $44.18

$41.94 COP 135.4K

5.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.91 $10.91

$16.80 COP 54.3K

-35.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 $9.97

$7.47 COP 24.1K

33.47%

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

$680 $680

$790 COP 2.6M

-13.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,476 $6,476

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-47.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 $60.0

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-30.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.32 $32.32

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-45.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 $84.6

$138 COP 446.7K

-38.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 $99.4

$98.8 COP 319.1K

0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 $857

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 $865

$667 COP 2.2M

29.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-23.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 $1,447

$1,033 COP 3.3M

40.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,279 $2,279

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-44.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,900 $1,900

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-2.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,635 $3,635

$646 COP 2.1M

462.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

10.94

-41.86%

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

Last update for Las Cruces, NM: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Las Cruces, NM

$865 41.5%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 22.9% $198

Groceries & Markets

Las Cruces, NM

$385 18.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 20.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Cruces, NM

$317 15.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 29.9% $95

Eating Out

Las Cruces, NM

$315 15.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 45.2% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Las Cruces, NM

$124 6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 38.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Las Cruces, NM

$64 3.1%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 11.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Las Cruces, NM

$14 * 0.7%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 576% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $857 in Las Cruces, NM versus $1,341 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 Las Cruces, NM are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Las Cruces, NM versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $385 in Las Cruces, NM vs $307 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Las Cruces, NM

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

12:39 12:39 PM

2 h ahead of Las Cruces, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,385

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Las Cruces, NM Medellin 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Cruces, NM
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

Las Cruces, NM vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Cruces, NM costs about 23% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,127 per month in Las Cruces, NM and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Las Cruces, NM, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $857 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Las Cruces, NM and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Las Cruces, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,085 in Las Cruces, NM and $1,692 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 $1,692 in Medellin to $2,085 in Las Cruces, NM. 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, Las Cruces, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.