Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cuautitlan Izcalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuautitlan Izcalli: $1,122 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cuautitlan Izcalli
Learn more

Cuautitlan Izcalli Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cuautitlan Izcalli

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cuautitlan Izcalli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,122 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Medellin $1,692
Cuautitlan Izcalli $1,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,708 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Medellin $2,471
Cuautitlan Izcalli $1,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,294 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Medellin $3,249
Cuautitlan Izcalli $2,294

Living in Medellin is roughly 51% more expensive than in Cuautitlan Izcalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Cuautitlan Izcalli is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$10.81 MX$204

-22.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$25.43 MX$479

82.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$8.06 MX$152

17.49%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.17 MX$59.7

-1.26%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.65 MX$31.10

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.25 MX$23.58

13.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.49 MX$46.82

26.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.73 MX$89.1

20.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.59 MX$29.94

-3.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$2.75 MX$51.7

-16.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.33 MX$25.06

45.86%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.82 MX$53.0

8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$2.62 MX$49.32

281.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$5.28 MX$99.4

97.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$6.93 MX$130

101.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.45 MX$46.13

65.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.59 MX$29.91

-3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.33 MX$25.07

57.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$2.17 MX$40.87

5.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$2.01 MX$37.87

4.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$1.87 MX$35.23

-8.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$1.53 MX$28.78

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.06 MX$19.95

49.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$4.22 MX$79.3

-7.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$9.51 MX$179

47.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.59 MX$29.89

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$4.41 MX$82.9

-38.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.76 MX$14.36

55.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$29.96 MX$564

154.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$0.83 MX$15.65

118.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.49 MX$9.25

334.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$5.58 MX$105

45.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.36 MX$25.61

-5.88%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$21.2K MX$399.7K

62.17%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$24.0K MX$452.3K

42.01%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$62.4 MX$1,173

185.05%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$26.87 MX$506

-48.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$18.89 MX$355

62.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$32.39 MX$609

29.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$19.67 MX$370

-14.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$4.24 MX$79.7

76.18%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$427 MX$8,042

84.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$4,583 MX$86.3K

168.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$54.5 MX$1,026

58.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$26.86 MX$506

120.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$109 MX$2,057

26.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$54.4 MX$1,023

81.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$602 MX$11.3K

122.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$426 MX$8,024

56.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,029 MX$19.4K

92.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$750 MX$14.1K

37.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,879 MX$35.4K

118.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,134 MX$21.3K

71.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.35

-3.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cuautitlan Izcalli: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$426 38% 36.1% $241

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$217 19.4% 29.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$108 9.6% 51.4% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$182 16.3% 5.6% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$110 9.8% 36% $62

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$36 3.2% 61.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$41 3.6% 28.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $602 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $25 in Cuautitlan Izcalli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $217 per month, with Cuautitlan Izcalli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Cuautitlan Izcalli

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

484,573

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cuautitlan Izcalli 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cuautitlan Izcalli

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 Cuautitlan Izcalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuautitlan Izcalli is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,682 in Cuautitlan Izcalli to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $602 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $427 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,122 in Cuautitlan Izcalli versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuautitlan Izcalli but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cuautitlan Izcalli the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Cuautitlan Izcalli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.