Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Atotonilco el Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Atotonilco el Alto: $1,224 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
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Atotonilco el Alto Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Atotonilco el Alto

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Atotonilco el Alto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Medellin $1,639
Atotonilco el Alto $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Medellin $2,413
Atotonilco el Alto $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Medellin $3,186
Atotonilco el Alto $2,703

Living in Medellin is roughly 34% more expensive than in Atotonilco el Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Atotonilco el Alto is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.57 MX$198

-23.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$63.3 MX$1,187

-25.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.16 MX$172

3.71%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.68 MX$69.0

-18.21%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.53 MX$28.73

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.03 MX$19.25

36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.15 MX$59.1

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.49 MX$103

4.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.92 MX$36.06

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.64 MX$49.47

-9.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.97 MX$36.85

-10.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.70 MX$50.5

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.59 MX$161

18.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.92 MX$167

10.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$13.63 MX$255

2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.46 MX$64.8

14.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.63 MX$30.56

-4.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.19 MX$40.99

-0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.92 MX$35.98

13.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.79 MX$33.56

9.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.80 MX$33.77

-11.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.45 MX$27.13

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.20 MX$22.56

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.46 MX$83.6

-11.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$17.38 MX$326

-21.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.09 MX$39.17

-20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.97 MX$74.4

-43.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.63 MX$11.77

85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$32.79 MX$614

135.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.18 MX$59.6

-60.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.64 MX$49.39

-22.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.88 MX$204

-21.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.49 MX$28.01

-9.40%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.6K MX$460.6K

38.61%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.2K MX$434.4K

49.57%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$56.9 MX$1,065

198.42%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$26.54 MX$497

-48.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$24.36 MX$456

15.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.94 MX$580

41.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$21.94 MX$411

-21.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.30 MX$137

-5.34%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$257 MX$4,822

209.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,041 MX$94.5K

80.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$52.7 MX$988

60.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$44.51 MX$834

30.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$100 MX$1,876

34.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$95.6 MX$1,791

2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$519 MX$9,725

132.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$390 MX$7,317

64.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,156 MX$21.7K

75.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$667 MX$12.5K

51.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,623 MX$30.4K

156.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,218 MX$22.8K

56.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.99

-8.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9% 39.1% $251

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8% 2.1% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8% 49% $104

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8% 13.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8% 22% $37

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2% 44.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7% 20.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $63 in Atotonilco el Alto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $303 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

26,874

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Atotonilco el Alto 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Atotonilco el Alto

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

Medellin vs Atotonilco el Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Atotonilco el Alto is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $257 in Atotonilco el Alto. 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 $47 versus $63 in Atotonilco el Alto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Atotonilco el Alto but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Atotonilco el Alto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.