Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Brownsville, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brownsville, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Brownsville, TX

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Brownsville, TX $1,752

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,612 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Brownsville, TX $2,612

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,472 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Brownsville, TX $3,472

Medellin is about 6% cheaper than Brownsville, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Medellin and Brownsville, TX sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Brownsville, TX by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.13 $10.13

-20.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$59.9 $59.9

-21.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.95 $7.95

19.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$4.03 $4.03

-25.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.03 $2.03

-11.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$2.01 $2.01

-29.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.05 $5.05

-37.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.10 $5.10

12.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$0.85 $0.85

77.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.24 $2.24

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$2.22 $2.22

-20.27%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.83 $2.83

2.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.32 $9.32

9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$12.84 $12.84

-23.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.11 $9.11

53.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.61 $2.61

52.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.29 $2.29

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.67 $1.67

30.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.98 $1.98

10.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.90 $2.90

-32.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.07 $1.07

48.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.01 $1.01

13.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.02 $1.02

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.57 $9.57

-58.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.35 $7.35

86.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.05 $2.05

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.23 $2.23

1.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.15 $4.15

-69.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.77 $0.77

166.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.86 $0.86

56.98%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$28.9K $28.9K

17.82%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$24.3K $24.3K

42.53%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$162 $162

4.97%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$37.04 $37.04

-63.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$67.4 $67.4

-58.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$49.89 $49.89

-12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.78 $11.78

-41.34%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$595 $595

33.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$78.7 $78.7

7.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$44.47 $44.47

30.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$75.8 $75.8

78.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$96.5 $96.5

1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$944 $944

27.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$796 $796

-19.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,656 $1,656

22.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,384 $1,384

-26.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,860 $1,860

124.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,856 $1,856

2.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,159 $3,159

-79.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.48

68.83%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Brownsville, TX

$796 45.5% 24.1% $155

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Brownsville, TX

$271 15.4% 8.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Brownsville, TX

$266 15.2% 25.9% $55

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Brownsville, TX

$205 11.7% 20.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Brownsville, TX

$133 7.6% 21.3% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Brownsville, TX

$8 * 0.5% 91.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Brownsville, TX

$73 4.2% 27.7% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $944 in Brownsville, TX. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Brownsville, TX are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $60 in Brownsville, TX. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $271 in Brownsville, TX – so Brownsville, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

186,738

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Brownsville, TX 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Brownsville, TX

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 Brownsville, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,752 in Brownsville, TX – Medellin comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,628 in Brownsville, TX. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Brownsville, TX, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $944 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,752 in Brownsville, TX. That makes Medellin about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $595 in Brownsville, TX. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, 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 $1,639 in Medellin to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX. 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, Brownsville, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.