Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Las Cruces, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,085 in Las Cruces, NM, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Las Cruces, NM
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Las Cruces, NM Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,085 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Las Cruces, NM $2,085

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,045 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Las Cruces, NM $3,045

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $4,004 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Las Cruces, NM $4,004

Medellin is about 19% cheaper than Las Cruces, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Las Cruces, NM sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Las Cruces, NM by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$17.44 $17.44

-52.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$44.67 $44.67

4.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$12.08 $12.08

-21.61%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$5.80 $5.80

-46.03%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$2.51 $2.51

-29.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$2.10 $2.10

-32.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.51 $6.51

-51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$9.19 $9.19

-37.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$0.79 $0.79

93.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$3.61 $3.61

-36.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$3.71 $3.71

-47.71%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$4.69 $4.69

-34.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$13.32 $13.32

-25.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$11.95 $11.95

-12.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$17.43 $17.43

-19.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.30 $4.30

-5.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$2.03 $2.03

-24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$3.35 $3.35

-37.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$3.87 $3.87

-40.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$2.24 $2.24

-5.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$2.42 $2.42

-29.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$1.77 $1.77

-33.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$1.84 $1.84

-14.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.82 $10.82

-63.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$14.96 $14.96

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$2.34 $2.34

-24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$3.49 $3.49

-22.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$2.29 $2.29

-20.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$2.31 $2.31

-7.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$0.93 $0.93

37.63%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$27.8K $27.8K

23.78%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$24.3K $24.3K

40.65%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$171 $171

4.19%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$59.0 $59.0

-76.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$87.7 $87.7

-64.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$44.18 $44.18

-5.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$10.91 $10.91

53.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$9.97 $9.97

-25.08%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$680 $680

16.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,476 $6,476

89.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$60.0 $60.0

44.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$32.32 $32.32

83.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$84.6 $84.6

63.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$99.4 $99.4

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$857 $857

56.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$865 $865

-22.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,521 $1,521

29.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,447 $1,447

-28.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,279 $2,279

79.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,900 $1,900

2.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,635 $3,635

-82.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.36

72.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Las Cruces, NM: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Las Cruces, NM

$865 41.5% 29.7% $198

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Las Cruces, NM

$385 18.5% 25.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Las Cruces, NM

$317 15.2% 42.7% $95

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Las Cruces, NM

$315 15.1% 82.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Las Cruces, NM

$124 6% 27.8% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Las Cruces, NM

$14 * 0.7% 85.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Las Cruces, NM

$64 3.1% 12.7% $7.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $857 in Las Cruces, NM. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Las Cruces, NM are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $45 in Las Cruces, NM. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $385 in Las Cruces, NM – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Las Cruces, NM

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

111,385

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Las Cruces, NM 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Cruces, NM costs about 23% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,127 in Las Cruces, NM. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Las Cruces, NM, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $857 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $45 in Las Cruces, NM. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Las Cruces, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $2,085 in Las Cruces, NM, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $2,085 in Las Cruces, NM. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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