Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cholula

For one person, living is cheaper in Cholula: $1,077 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Cholula
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Cholula Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cholula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cholula

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,077 in Cholula, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Cholula $1,077

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,703 in Cholula, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Cholula $1,703

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,329 in Cholula, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Cholula $2,329

Medellin costs about 52% more than Cholula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Cholula is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.74 MX$200

-24.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$47.05 MX$877

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.15 MX$171

3.83%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.13 MX$58.4

-3.83%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.51 MX$28.12

19.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.16 MX$21.56

21.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.65 MX$49.45

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.72 MX$87.9

21.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.89 MX$35.27

-20.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.06 MX$57.1

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.73 MX$32.23

2.31%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.65 MX$49.34

9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.22 MX$116

63.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.54 MX$103

78.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.90 MX$203

28.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.56 MX$47.66

55.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.74 MX$32.48

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.90 MX$35.49

14.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.93 MX$36.07

12.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.76 MX$32.73

11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.77 MX$33.03

-10.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.46 MX$27.28

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.21 MX$22.47

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.47 MX$83.3

-11.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.71 MX$256

-0.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.38 MX$25.75

20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.58 MX$48.12

-12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.48 MX$8.93

143.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$18.92 MX$353

308.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.29 MX$61.3

-61.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.53 MX$47.15

-18.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$15.77 MX$294

-45.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.41 MX$26.24

-4.26%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.6K MX$459.2K

38.29%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$22.9K MX$427.2K

51.27%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$58.1 MX$1,083

192.00%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$18.53 MX$345

-26.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$23.47 MX$438

19.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$71.3 MX$1,329

-38.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$19.93 MX$371

-13.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.45 MX$102

26.79%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$257 MX$4,795

209.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,548 MX$84.8K

100.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$51.3 MX$957

65.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$43.70 MX$815

32.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$102 MX$1,901

32.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$95.9 MX$1,788

2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$431 MX$8,037

180.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$286 MX$5,334

124.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$582 MX$10.8K

248.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$472 MX$8,802

114.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,927 MX$35.9K

116.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,145 MX$21.3K

66.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$792 MX$14.8K

-17.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.96

-0.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cholula: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cholula

$286 26.6% 55.4% $355

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cholula

$255 23.7% 14.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cholula

$100 9.3% 52.6% $111

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cholula

$184 17.1% 8.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cholula

$132 12.2% 22% $37

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cholula

$37 3.4% 60.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cholula

$82 7.6% 42.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $431 in Cholula. 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 21% higher in Cholula, 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 $47 in Cholula. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $255 in Cholula – so Cholula wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Cholula

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

908

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cholula 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cholula

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 Cholula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 52% more than Cholula, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,615 in Cholula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cholula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $431 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,077 in Cholula. That’s a gap of about 52%.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $257 in Cholula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,077 in Cholula. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cholula costs $1,077 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.