Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cuauhtémoc

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuauhtémoc: $1,191 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Cuauhtémoc
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Cuauhtémoc Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cuauhtémoc

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,191 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cuauhtémoc $1,191

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,860 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cuauhtémoc $1,860

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,530 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cuauhtémoc $2,530

Medellin costs about 42% more than Cuauhtémoc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cuauhtémoc is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.82 MX$203

-22.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$43.33 MX$814

7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.33 MX$156

13.69%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.43 MX$64.4

-8.75%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.32 MX$24.85

34.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$1.05 MX$19.67

35.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.46 MX$46.22

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.15 MX$77.9

37.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.58 MX$29.59

-3.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.53 MX$47.43

-9.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.69 MX$31.68

14.79%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.46 MX$46.20

24.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.20 MX$154

21.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.13 MX$153

28.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$11.23 MX$211

24.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.65 MX$49.72

52.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.48 MX$27.85

3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.92 MX$35.99

9.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.82 MX$34.21

25.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.98 MX$37.23

6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.80 MX$33.82

-5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.43 MX$26.92

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.07 MX$20.02

47.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.30 MX$80.7

-9.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$10.08 MX$189

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.77 MX$33.30

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$3.03 MX$56.9

-10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.67 MX$12.63

76.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$30.53 MX$573

149.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$2.63 MX$49.32

-31.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.90 MX$35.73

12.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$10.79 MX$203

-24.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.48 MX$27.79

-13.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$23.4K MX$438.7K

47.42%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$23.8K MX$446.5K

43.58%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$56.6 MX$1,062

214.23%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$22.47 MX$422

-38.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$29.33 MX$551

4.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$31.80 MX$597

31.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$19.76 MX$371

-14.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.98 MX$93.5

50.00%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$212 MX$3,978

273.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,464 MX$83.8K

175.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$53.2 MX$1,000

62.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$39.97 MX$751

48.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$96.9 MX$1,820

42.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$87.8 MX$1,648

12.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$592 MX$11.1K

126.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$429 MX$8,051

55.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,015 MX$19.1K

94.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$747 MX$14.0K

38.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,880 MX$35.3K

117.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,105 MX$20.7K

75.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.31

-3.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cuauhtémoc: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cuauhtémoc

$429 36% 35.7% $238

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cuauhtémoc

$259 21.7% 15.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cuauhtémoc

$108 9.1% 51.3% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cuauhtémoc

$183 15.4% 5.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cuauhtémoc

$125 10.5% 27.4% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cuauhtémoc

$45 3.8% 51.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cuauhtémoc

$42 3.5% 26.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $592 in Cuauhtémoc. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $43 in Cuauhtémoc. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $259 – making Cuauhtémoc the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

545,884

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Cuauhtémoc 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cuauhtémoc

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 Cuauhtémoc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,786 in Cuauhtémoc. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuauhtémoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $43 in Cuauhtémoc. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuauhtémoc, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Cuauhtémoc it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cuauhtémoc costs $1,191 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Cuauhtémoc is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.