Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Leon, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,191 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Leon

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,191 in Leon, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Leon $1,191

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,930 in Leon, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Leon $1,930

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,669 in Leon, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Leon $2,669

Medellin costs about 38% more than Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Leon is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.96 MX$204

-26.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$53.8 MX$1,003

-12.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.66 MX$161

9.70%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.01 MX$74.8

-24.94%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.55 MX$28.88

16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.23 MX$22.85

14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.92 MX$54.4

8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.86 MX$71.9

48.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.75 MX$32.57

-13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.72 MX$50.7

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.72 MX$32.01

2.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.27 MX$60.9

-11.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.81 MX$127

49.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.52 MX$140

31.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.83 MX$202

29.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.37 MX$44.23

67.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.37 MX$25.47

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.78 MX$33.27

22.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.44 MX$26.83

51.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.97 MX$36.63

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.07 MX$38.64

-23.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.33 MX$24.85

-13.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.73 MX$13.58

69.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.71 MX$125

-40.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.26 MX$247

3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.33 MX$43.41

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.58 MX$66.8

-36.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.78 MX$14.55

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$37.94 MX$707

103.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.72 MX$50.8

-53.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.62 MX$48.85

-21.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$14.76 MX$275

-42.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.40 MX$26.06

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.5K MX$457.4K

38.83%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$23.3K MX$433.6K

49.04%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$21.19 MX$395

700.61%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$39.64 MX$739

-65.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$57.5 MX$1,072

-51.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$36.72 MX$685

19.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$33.64 MX$627

-48.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.48 MX$121

6.64%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$178 MX$3,320

347.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$3,783 MX$70.5K

140.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$55.6 MX$1,036

52.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$65.2 MX$1,215

-11.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$97.5 MX$1,818

38.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$116 MX$2,163

-15.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$525 MX$9,783

130.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$362 MX$6,746

77.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$771 MX$14.4K

162.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$678 MX$12.6K

49.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$528 MX$9,838

24.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.6

-5.69%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Leon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Leon

$362 30.4% 43.6% $280

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Leon

$259 21.7% 12.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Leon

$118 9.9% 44% $93

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Leon

$195 16.4% 15.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Leon

$150 12.6% 11% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Leon

$57 4.8% 39.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Leon

$50 4.2% 13.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $525 in Leon. 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 25% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $54 in Leon. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $259 in Leon – so Leon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,579,803

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Leon 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 38% more than Leon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,787 in Leon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $54 in Leon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,191 in Leon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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