Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guanajuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,036 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
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Guanajuato Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guanajuato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,036 in Guanajuato.

Medellin $1,639
Guanajuato $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,584 in Guanajuato.

Medellin $2,413
Guanajuato $1,584

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,131 in Guanajuato.

Medellin $3,186
Guanajuato $2,131

Living in Medellin is roughly 58% more expensive than in Guanajuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Guanajuato is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.29 MX$249

-39.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$43.45 MX$814

8.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.12 MX$133

33.43%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.61 MX$67.6

-16.62%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.64 MX$30.78

9.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.94 MX$17.66

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.63 MX$49.34

20.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.98 MX$93.2

15.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.51 MX$28.25

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.49 MX$46.70

-4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.47 MX$27.60

20.41%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.39 MX$44.85

20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.76 MX$89.1

114.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.33 MX$175

5.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.63 MX$218

20.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.77 MX$51.9

43.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.55 MX$29.04

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.87 MX$34.95

16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.50 MX$28.18

45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.01 MX$37.66

-2.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.85 MX$34.70

-14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.53 MX$28.59

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.07 MX$20.05

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.85 MX$90.9

-18.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.04 MX$188

36.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.84 MX$34.55

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.25 MX$61.0

-30.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.60 MX$11.33

95.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$26.83 MX$503

188.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.11 MX$39.58

-39.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.50 MX$28.10

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.59 MX$161

-0.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.46 MX$27.33

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$19.6K MX$367.3K

73.80%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.0K MX$430.1K

51.06%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$48.45 MX$908

250.15%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$19.35 MX$363

-29.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$27.67 MX$518

1.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.04 MX$563

45.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$27.18 MX$509

-36.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.98 MX$112

15.55%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$203 MX$3,804

292.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,520 MX$103.4K

65.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$56.2 MX$1,054

50.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$36.12 MX$677

60.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$76.8 MX$1,439

75.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$56.5 MX$1,058

73.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$511 MX$9,580

136.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$300 MX$5,628

113.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$766 MX$14.3K

164.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$383 MX$7,178

164.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,317 MX$24.7K

216.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,091 MX$20.4K

75.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$704 MX$13.2K

-6.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.3

-3.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guanajuato: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Guanajuato

$300 29% 53.2% $341

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Guanajuato

$254 24.5% 14.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Guanajuato

$95 9.2% 54.8% $116

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Guanajuato

$204 19.7% 20.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Guanajuato

$102 9.8% 39.9% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Guanajuato

$39 3.8% 58.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Guanajuato

$42 4.1% 27% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $511 in Guanajuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guanajuato pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $43 in Guanajuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $254 per month, with Guanajuato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

70,068

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Guanajuato 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Guanajuato

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 Guanajuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $511 in Guanajuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guanajuato – a meal for two runs $43 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guanajuato is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Guanajuato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.