Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pachuca

For one person, living is cheaper in Pachuca: $877 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Pachuca
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Pachuca Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Pachuca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pachuca

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $877 in Pachuca, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Pachuca $877

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,460 in Pachuca, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Pachuca $1,460

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,044 in Pachuca, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Pachuca $2,044

Medellin costs about 87% more than Pachuca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Pachuca is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.96 MX$93.1

63.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$25.47 MX$478

84.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.91 MX$148

20.10%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.98 MX$55.9

1.01%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.12 MX$21.00

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.80 MX$15.03

76.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.64 MX$30.83

93.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.15 MX$59.2

82.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.49 MX$27.97

1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.51 MX$47.21

-5.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.79 MX$33.68

-1.12%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.67 MX$50.1

8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.13 MX$134

42.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$4.54 MX$85.3

117.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.64 MX$143

83.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.00 MX$37.46

98.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.31 MX$24.67

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.46 MX$27.38

49.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.64 MX$30.75

32.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.46 MX$27.36

34.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.28 MX$23.95

24.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.89 MX$16.68

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.96 MX$17.94

29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.30 MX$80.7

-7.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$8.25 MX$155

65.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.31 MX$24.60

26.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.45 MX$46.03

-7.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.59 MX$11.03

98.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$26.43 MX$496

192.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.62 MX$49.15

-51.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.58 MX$48.50

-20.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.61 MX$199

-19.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.41 MX$26.53

-4.26%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$21.5K MX$404.1K

58.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$22.9K MX$430.1K

51.32%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$45.14 MX$847

275.83%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$19.13 MX$359

-29.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$22.63 MX$425

24.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$23.75 MX$446

84.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$10.81 MX$203

59.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.20 MX$78.8

64.52%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$163 MX$3,056

389.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,635 MX$49.5K

245.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$51.0 MX$957

66.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$41.00 MX$770

41.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$93.3 MX$1,751

44.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$75.3 MX$1,414

29.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$388 MX$7,278

211.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$268 MX$5,029

139.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$600 MX$11.3K

238.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$675 MX$12.7K

49.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$737 MX$13.8K

465.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$645 MX$12.1K

196.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$651 MX$12.2K

0.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.8

1.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pachuca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Pachuca

$268 30.6% 58.2% $374

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Pachuca

$207 23.6% 30.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Pachuca

$87 9.9% 58.9% $124

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Pachuca

$121 13.8% 28.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Pachuca

$117 13.4% 30.6% $52

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Pachuca

$44 5.1% 52.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Pachuca

$32 3.7% 44.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $388 in Pachuca. 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 $25 in Pachuca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $207 – making Pachuca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Pachuca

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

297,848

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Pachuca 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Pachuca

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 Pachuca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,315 in Pachuca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pachuca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $25 in Pachuca. 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 $877 in Pachuca. That makes Pachuca about 47% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pachuca, where all-in costs run around $877, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Pachuca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Pachuca is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 47% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.