Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Irapuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Irapuato: $1,325 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Irapuato
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Irapuato Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Irapuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Irapuato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,325 in Irapuato.

Medellin $1,692
Irapuato $1,325

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,071 in Irapuato.

Medellin $2,471
Irapuato $2,071

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,816 in Irapuato.

Medellin $3,249
Irapuato $2,816

Living in Medellin is roughly 28% more expensive than in Irapuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Irapuato is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.90 MX$205

-23.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$47.68 MX$895

-2.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$10.38 MX$195

-8.77%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.87 MX$72.6

-19.12%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.59 MX$29.88

11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$1.20 MX$22.60

18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.20 MX$60.0

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$5.46 MX$102

4.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.75 MX$32.88

-12.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.95 MX$55.3

-22.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$2.02 MX$37.91

-3.96%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.76 MX$51.8

11.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$11.31 MX$212

-11.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$9.72 MX$182

7.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$15.38 MX$289

-9.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.21 MX$60.3

26.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$2.03 MX$38.10

-24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.98 MX$37.14

6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$2.31 MX$43.34

-0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$2.04 MX$38.27

3.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.86 MX$34.98

-8.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.48 MX$27.83

-20.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.26 MX$23.70

25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.14 MX$96.5

-23.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$16.07 MX$302

-12.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.97 MX$37.02

-10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$4.29 MX$80.7

-36.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.63 MX$11.81

87.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$30.39 MX$571

151.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.85 MX$34.67

-2.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.52 MX$9.85

309.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.42 MX$102

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.26 MX$23.72

1.59%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.3K MX$400.1K

61.64%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$24.3K MX$455.9K

40.60%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$62.4 MX$1,171

185.05%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$26.98 MX$507

-48.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$35.32 MX$663

-12.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$32.21 MX$605

30.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$19.77 MX$371

-15.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.43 MX$121

16.17%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$428 MX$8,046

84.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,607 MX$86.5K

166.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$68.3 MX$1,283

26.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$53.6 MX$1,006

10.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$106 MX$1,998

30.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$117 MX$2,195

-15.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$601 MX$11.3K

123.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$436 MX$8,189

53.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,022 MX$19.2K

93.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$751 MX$14.1K

37.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,889 MX$35.5K

116.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,141 MX$21.4K

69.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$356 MX$6,688

81.44%

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 Irapuato: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Irapuato

$436 32.9% 34.6% $231

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Irapuato

$324 24.4% 5.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Irapuato

$125 9.4% 43.9% $98

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Irapuato

$203 15.3% 17.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Irapuato

$155 11.7% 9.8% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Irapuato

$37 2.8% 60% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Irapuato

$45 3.4% 20.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $601 in Irapuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $48 in Irapuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $324 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Irapuato

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

452,090

💱 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 = 3,628 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 = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Irapuato 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Irapuato

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 Irapuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,325 in Irapuato, so Irapuato is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $601 in Irapuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $1,325 in Irapuato – Irapuato is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Irapuato gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Irapuato wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.