Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Miguel Hidalgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Miguel Hidalgo: $1,203 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Miguel Hidalgo
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Miguel Hidalgo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Miguel Hidalgo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Miguel Hidalgo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,203 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Miguel Hidalgo $1,203

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,989 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Miguel Hidalgo $1,989

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,775 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Miguel Hidalgo $2,775

Medellin costs about 36% more than Miguel Hidalgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.81 MX$202

-25.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$83.0 MX$1,550

-43.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.40 MX$157

13.10%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.53 MX$66.0

-14.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.38 MX$25.87

30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.98 MX$18.27

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.27 MX$42.33

40.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.06 MX$113

-5.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.57 MX$29.34

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.54 MX$47.39

-6.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.70 MX$31.84

4.12%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.50 MX$46.64

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.93 MX$148

28.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.20 MX$172

7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.20 MX$209

24.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.73 MX$51.0

45.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.51 MX$28.15

2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.87 MX$34.86

16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.79 MX$33.43

21.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.98 MX$36.92

-1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.86 MX$34.74

-14.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.38 MX$25.84

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.12 MX$20.90

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.36 MX$81.4

-9.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.21 MX$191

33.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.77 MX$33.08

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$3.09 MX$57.7

-26.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.63 MX$11.71

85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$32.17 MX$601

140.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.49 MX$46.48

-49.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.04 MX$38.20

0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$9.47 MX$177

-9.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.40 MX$26.24

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$23.7K MX$442.7K

43.80%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$23.4K MX$436.8K

48.32%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$30.64 MX$573

453.69%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$22.21 MX$415

-38.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$30.43 MX$569

-7.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$45.70 MX$854

-4.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$20.26 MX$378

-15.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.17 MX$96.6

33.66%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$218 MX$4,067

266.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,856 MX$90.7K

87.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$73.8 MX$1,379

14.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$39.52 MX$738

46.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$91.1 MX$1,702

48.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$88.2 MX$1,648

11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$586 MX$11.0K

106.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$434 MX$8,104

47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,041 MX$19.4K

94.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$749 MX$14.0K

35.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,919 MX$35.9K

117.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,123 MX$21.0K

70.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$536 MX$10.0K

22.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.31

-3.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Miguel Hidalgo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Miguel Hidalgo

$434 36% 32.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Miguel Hidalgo

$264 22% 11% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Miguel Hidalgo

$83 6.9% 60.6% $128

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Miguel Hidalgo

$187 15.5% 10.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Miguel Hidalgo

$132 10.9% 22.1% $37

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Miguel Hidalgo

$47 3.9% 49.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Miguel Hidalgo

$56 4.7% 2.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $586 in Miguel Hidalgo. 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 23% 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 $83 in Miguel Hidalgo. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $264 in Miguel Hidalgo – so Miguel Hidalgo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Miguel Hidalgo

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

03:14 3:14 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

414,470

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Miguel Hidalgo 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Miguel Hidalgo

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 Miguel Hidalgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,805 in Miguel Hidalgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Miguel Hidalgo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $83 in Miguel Hidalgo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,203 in Miguel Hidalgo. That’s a gap of about 36%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Miguel Hidalgo, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Miguel Hidalgo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Miguel Hidalgo – 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 Miguel Hidalgo. 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.