Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guadalajara

Name: Guadalajara
Address: Guadalajara, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,425 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guadalajara

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,425 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Guadalajara $1,425

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,146 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Guadalajara $2,146

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,868 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Guadalajara $2,868

Medellin costs about 13% more than Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Guadalajara sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Guadalajara by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.59 €12.09

-41.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$35.95 €31.98

28.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$11.29 €10.04

-15.85%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.90 €1.69

63.68%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.75 €2.44

-33.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.36 €1.21

1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.74 €2.44

11.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.93 €3.49

39.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.18 €1.05

22.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.85 €0.76

177.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.17 €1.93

-22.58%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.97 €2.64

-3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$11.28 €10.04

-9.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.08 €8.08

4.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$17.01 €15.13

-17.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.69 €2.40

51.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.25 €2.00

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.01 €1.79

7.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.82 €3.39

-39.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.11 €1.88

-8.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.17 €1.93

-24.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.42 €1.26

-20.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.57 €0.50

119.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$6.00 €5.34

-33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.52 €4.91

141.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.07 €0.95

58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.15 €1.91

10.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.15 €1.03

5.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$4.52 €4.02

-70.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.27 €2.02

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$23.20 €20.64

-63.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.64 €1.46

-20.73%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$34.8K €31.0K

-19.56%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$28.4K €25.3K

24.66%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$112 €99.8

53.36%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$19.80 €17.61

-32.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$30.27 €26.92

-5.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$35.98 €32.01

25.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$9.04 €8.04

88.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.63 €8.56

-34.79%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$177 €158

334.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,854 €5,207

53.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$71.3 €63.5

21.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$35.70 €31.76

60.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$78.3 €69.7

74.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$95.5 €84.9

2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$767 €682

37.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$588 €523

4.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,269 €1,128

49.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,010 €898

1.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,482 €2,208

63.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,832 €1,630

-8.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,924 €1,711

-66.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.08

255.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Guadalajara

$588 41.3% 4.5% $28

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Guadalajara

$269 18.9% 8.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Guadalajara

$162 11.4% 24.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Guadalajara

$126 8.9% 25.7% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Guadalajara

$203 14.3% 20.8% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Guadalajara

$20 * 1.4% 78.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Guadalajara

$55 3.9% 4.4% $2.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $767 in Guadalajara. 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 195% higher in Guadalajara, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $36.00 in Guadalajara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $269 – making Guadalajara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

89,010

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Guadalajara 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Guadalajara

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 Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,137 in Guadalajara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guadalajara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,425 in Guadalajara. That's a gap of about 13%.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $177 in Guadalajara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guadalajara, where all-in costs run around $1,425, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Guadalajara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Guadalajara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.