Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,207 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nogales

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,207 in Nogales, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Nogales $1,207

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,877 in Nogales, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Nogales $1,877

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,547 in Nogales, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Nogales $2,547

Medellin costs about 40% more than Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Nogales is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.57 MX$199

-21.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$43.20 MX$811

7.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.57 MX$161

10.50%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.44 MX$64.6

-9.01%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.35 MX$25.26

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$1.05 MX$19.67

35.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.46 MX$46.27

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.96 MX$74.5

43.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.60 MX$30.06

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.54 MX$47.73

-9.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.64 MX$30.83

18.29%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.48 MX$46.66

23.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.14 MX$153

22.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.37 MX$157

24.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$11.40 MX$214

22.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.68 MX$50.3

51.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.50 MX$28.19

2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.92 MX$36.02

9.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.83 MX$34.42

25.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.94 MX$36.44

8.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.82 MX$34.21

-6.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.38 MX$25.86

-15.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.06 MX$19.89

49.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.28 MX$80.4

-8.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$10.12 MX$190

38.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.71 MX$32.10

2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$3.14 MX$58.9

-13.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.63 MX$11.77

87.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$29.70 MX$558

156.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$2.62 MX$49.18

-30.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.99 MX$37.37

7.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$10.94 MX$206

-25.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.48 MX$27.73

-13.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$23.6K MX$442.5K

46.18%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$23.5K MX$441.4K

45.23%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$56.7 MX$1,066

213.24%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$22.57 MX$424

-38.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$29.55 MX$555

4.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$32.41 MX$609

29.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$19.71 MX$370

-14.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$5.25 MX$98.6

42.29%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$218 MX$4,101

261.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,499 MX$84.5K

173.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$53.8 MX$1,010

60.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$39.92 MX$750

48.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$97.6 MX$1,833

41.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$87.3 MX$1,640

13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$587 MX$11.0K

128.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$443 MX$8,324

50.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,029 MX$19.3K

92.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$760 MX$14.3K

35.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,910 MX$35.9K

114.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,136 MX$21.3K

70.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nogales: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Nogales

$443 36.7% 33.6% $224

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Nogales

$260 21.6% 15.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Nogales

$109 9% 51% $113

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Nogales

$181 15% 5.1% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Nogales

$125 10.4% 27.2% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Nogales

$45 3.7% 52.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Nogales

$43 3.6% 24.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $587 in Nogales. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $43 in Nogales. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $260 – making Nogales the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

261,137

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Nogales 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,810 in Nogales. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nogales, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $587 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $43 in Nogales. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,207 in Nogales. That makes Nogales about 29% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,207 in Nogales, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Nogales is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.