Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Monterrey

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Monterrey: $1,639 and $1,647 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Monterrey

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Monterrey $3,536

Medellin and Monterrey have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Medellin and Monterrey sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.45 MX$251

-39.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$48.43 MX$905

-2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.90 MX$204

-12.84%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.82 MX$71.3

-21.20%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.67 MX$31.14

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.98 MX$18.37

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.35 MX$43.91

35.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.41 MX$82.4

30.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.80 MX$33.66

-16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.79 MX$52.2

-14.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.82 MX$34.10

-2.75%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.51 MX$46.95

15.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.09 MX$226

-15.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.41 MX$176

4.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$12.71 MX$237

10.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.21 MX$59.9

23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.50 MX$27.99

3.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.14 MX$40.07

1.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.32 MX$43.38

-6.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.20 MX$41.14

-10.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.60 MX$48.55

-38.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.44 MX$26.92

-20.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.17 MX$21.93

5.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.79 MX$89.5

-17.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.22 MX$247

3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.94 MX$36.30

-14.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.89 MX$53.9

-21.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.87 MX$16.30

34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$31.14 MX$582

148.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.66 MX$30.96

-23.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.09 MX$20.44

88.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.67 MX$199

-19.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.47 MX$27.53

-8.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.2K MX$453.0K

40.52%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$23.6K MX$440.1K

47.20%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$118 MX$2,202

43.93%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$25.55 MX$477

-46.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$26.43 MX$494

6.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$30.77 MX$575

42.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$21.07 MX$394

-18.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.09 MX$95.1

35.76%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$694 MX$13.0K

14.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$11.3K MX$211.5K

-19.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$72.5 MX$1,354

16.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$41.51 MX$776

39.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$110 MX$2,050

22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$115 MX$2,148

-14.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,056 MX$19.7K

14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$721 MX$13.5K

-11.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,999 MX$37.4K

1.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,435 MX$26.8K

-29.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,219 MX$78.8K

-1.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,731 MX$51.0K

-30.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,149 MX$21.5K

-42.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.79

-7.21%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 12.4% $80

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 2.2% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 19.6% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 28.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 9.8% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 55.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 28.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,056 in Monterrey. 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 75% higher in Monterrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $303 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,142,994

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Monterrey 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,470 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,056 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $694 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,647 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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