Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ayutuxtepeque

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayutuxtepeque: $958 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ayutuxtepeque
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Ayutuxtepeque Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Ayutuxtepeque

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ayutuxtepeque

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 Ayutuxtepeque actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $958 in Ayutuxtepeque.

Medellin $1,692
Ayutuxtepeque $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,399 in Ayutuxtepeque.

Medellin $2,471
Ayutuxtepeque $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,840 in Ayutuxtepeque.

Medellin $3,249
Ayutuxtepeque $1,840

Living in Medellin is roughly 77% more expensive than in Ayutuxtepeque, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Ayutuxtepeque is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$6.61 $6.61

26.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$29.49 $29.49

57.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.86 $4.86

94.86%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.60 $3.60

-13.06%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.62 $0.62

185.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.48 $0.48

195.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.27 $1.27

148.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.02 $3.02

88.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.37 $1.37

11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.52 $1.52

50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.02 $1.02

90.20%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.47 $2.47

24.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.68 $7.68

30.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.41 $5.41

93.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.07 $9.07

53.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.23 $3.23

25.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.36 $1.36

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$2.22 $2.22

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$3.49 $3.49

-34.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.62 $1.62

30.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$2.25 $2.25

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.67 $0.67

74.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.94 $0.94

68.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.01 $4.01

-2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$6.16 $6.16

127.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.47 $1.47

19.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.46 $2.46

10.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.36 $0.36

227.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$5.86 $5.86

-69.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$2.97 $2.97

-28.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$19.96 $19.96

-59.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.23 $1.23

4.07%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$25.2K $25.2K

36.86%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$27.4K $27.4K

24.35%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$95.4 $95.4

86.40%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$20.08 $20.08

-30.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$35.34 $35.34

-13.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$15.01 $15.01

179.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.88 $4.88

53.07%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$166 $166

376.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$2,943 $2,943

317.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$24.72 $24.72

249.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$30.38 $30.38

95.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$120 $120

15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$73.8 $73.8

33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$147 $147

810.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$302 $302

120.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$403 $403

390.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$406 $406

154.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$423 $423

52.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.5

28.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ayutuxtepeque: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Ayutuxtepeque

$302 31.6% 54.7% $365

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Ayutuxtepeque

$219 22.8% 28.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Ayutuxtepeque

$151 15.7% 32.2% $72

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Ayutuxtepeque

$127 13.3% 26.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Ayutuxtepeque

$112 11.7% 34.9% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Ayutuxtepeque

$22 * 2.3% 76.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Ayutuxtepeque

$25 2.6% 56.5% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $147 in Ayutuxtepeque. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 53% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $29 in Ayutuxtepeque for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $219 per month, with Ayutuxtepeque cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 Ayutuxtepeque

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

60,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Ayutuxtepeque 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Medellin
Ayutuxtepeque

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 Ayutuxtepeque: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ayutuxtepeque wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ayutuxtepeque the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $147 in Ayutuxtepeque. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $166 in Ayutuxtepeque. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ayutuxtepeque – a meal for two runs $29 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ayutuxtepeque is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 – Ayutuxtepeque wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.