Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chihuahua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,228 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chihuahua

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,228 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Chihuahua $1,228

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,828 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Chihuahua $1,828

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,428 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Chihuahua $2,428

Medellin costs about 34% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Chihuahua is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$10.87 MX$203

-25.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$32.23 MX$600

45.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.91 MX$203

-12.92%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.44 MX$45.48

23.36%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.22 MX$22.78

47.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.78 MX$14.59

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.37 MX$44.15

34.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.85 MX$71.8

49.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.64 MX$30.48

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.16 MX$58.8

-24.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.97 MX$36.78

-10.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.60 MX$48.44

11.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$9.26 MX$172

10.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$6.90 MX$129

43.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$12.40 MX$231

12.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.44 MX$45.51

62.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.56 MX$29.03

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.97 MX$36.65

10.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$2.70 MX$50.3

-19.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$2.48 MX$46.20

-20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$2.58 MX$48.06

-38.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.31 MX$24.38

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.17 MX$21.80

5.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.41 MX$82.2

-10.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.15 MX$189

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.45 MX$27.05

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.88 MX$53.7

-21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.63 MX$11.80

85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$35.17 MX$655

119.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.72 MX$50.7

-53.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.73 MX$13.58

180.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$9.76 MX$182

-12.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.47 MX$27.43

-8.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$23.4K MX$436.8K

45.31%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$23.5K MX$437.0K

47.79%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$81.3 MX$1,514

108.72%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$20.75 MX$386

-34.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$22.96 MX$428

22.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$28.70 MX$535

52.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$15.92 MX$297

7.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.75 MX$88.5

45.47%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$264 MX$4,914

202.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$3,304 MX$61.6K

175.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$48.00 MX$894

76.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$24.12 MX$449

140.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$99.8 MX$1,860

35.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$87.0 MX$1,621

12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$593 MX$11.0K

103.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$453 MX$8,445

41.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,068 MX$19.9K

89.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$693 MX$12.9K

45.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$3,329 MX$62.0K

25.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,095 MX$20.4K

74.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$838 MX$15.6K

-21.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.84

0.92%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chihuahua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Chihuahua

$453 36.9% 29.3% $188

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Chihuahua

$274 22.3% 7.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Chihuahua

$125 10.2% 40.8% $86

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Chihuahua

$177 14.4% 4.1% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Chihuahua

$117 9.5% 31% $52

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Chihuahua

$44 3.6% 52.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Chihuahua

$38 3.1% 33.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $593 in Chihuahua. 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 27% higher in Chihuahua, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $32 in Chihuahua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $274 – making Chihuahua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

925,762

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Chihuahua 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 34% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,841 in Chihuahua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chihuahua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $264 in Chihuahua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,228 in Chihuahua. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chihuahua – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chihuahua is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.