Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,223 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,223 per month in Leon vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Leon $1,223
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,985 per month in Leon vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Leon $1,985
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,747 per month in Leon vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Leon $2,747
Medellin $3,190

Leon is about 24% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Leon sits 9% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.17 MX$206

$7.93 COP 25.2K

40.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 MX$1,020

$46.13 COP 146.3K

19.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 MX$163

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-7.37%

Cappuccino

$4.03 MX$74.5

$3.11 COP 9,866

29.58%

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

$1.56 MX$28.84

$1.83 COP 5,800

-14.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.04

$1.38 COP 4,360

-9.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$3.05 COP 9,672

0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MX$72.6

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-28.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MX$31.67

$1.45 COP 4,600

17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 MX$49.51

$2.36 COP 7,496

13.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.31

$1.68 COP 5,328

7.14%

Eggs

$3.27 MX$60.4

$2.86 COP 9,077

14.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 MX$133

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-29.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 MX$140

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-20.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 MX$200

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-23.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.03

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-38.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.59

$1.50 COP 4,742

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.76

$2.17 COP 6,891

-15.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.42

$2.31 COP 7,310

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.75

$1.93 COP 6,113

3.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.60

$1.64 COP 5,196

27.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.56

$1.13 COP 3,571

22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 MX$12.89

$1.25 COP 3,954

-44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 MX$129

$3.99 COP 12.6K

74.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 MX$252

$13.35 COP 42.3K

2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 MX$43.71

$1.70 COP 5,384

39.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 MX$66.7

$2.37 COP 7,525

52.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.93

$1.21 COP 3,827

-38.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.67 MX$659

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-53.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.32 COP 4,179

109.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$50.2

$2.14 COP 6,774

27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.96 MX$276

$8.47 COP 26.8K

76.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.97

$1.30 COP 4,114

12.31%

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

$21.2K MX$392.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-24.21%

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

$24.2K MX$446.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-31.80%

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

$21.60 MX$399

$172 COP 545.6K

-87.45%

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

$40.70 MX$752

$13.37 COP 42.4K

204.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 MX$1,077

$28.73 COP 91.1K

102.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 MX$1,121

$45.24 COP 143.5K

34.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.51 MX$638

$17.04 COP 54.0K

102.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$6.28 COP 19.9K

3.03%

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

$183 MX$3,386

$770 COP 2.4M

-76.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,826 MX$70.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-57.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$1,049

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-34.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 MX$1,219

$57.1 COP 181.1K

15.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,868

$137 COP 432.9K

-25.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,122

$97.9 COP 310.4K

17.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 MX$9,681

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-50.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 MX$6,653

$616 COP 2.0M

-41.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 MX$14.1K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-59.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-33.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$532 MX$9,839

$652 COP 2.1M

-18.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

10.94

6.03%

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

Last update for Leon: 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

Leon

$360 29.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 71% $256

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$262 21.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 12.3% $32

Eating Out

Leon

$199 16.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 15.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$152 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 11.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$121 9.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 77.6% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$74 6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 21.5% $16

Getting Around

Leon

$55 4.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 69.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Leon versus $1,055 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 run about 23% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Leon versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Leon vs $295 in Medellin – so Leon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Leon

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

22:57 10:57 PM

1 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,579,803

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leon Medellin 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

Leon vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 32% more than Leon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,834 per month in Leon and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Leon and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Leon, where all-in costs run around $1,223, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Leon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Leon costs $1,223 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Leon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.