Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,395 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Queretaro

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,395 in Queretaro, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Queretaro $1,395

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,130 in Queretaro, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Queretaro $2,130

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,866 in Queretaro, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Queretaro $2,866

Medellin costs about 18% more than Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Queretaro sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Queretaro by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.58 MX$197

-23.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$61.4 MX$1,144

-23.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.36 MX$174

1.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.59 MX$66.9

-16.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.57 MX$29.23

14.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.03 MX$19.28

36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.16 MX$58.8

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.28 MX$98.5

8.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.92 MX$35.83

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.60 MX$48.53

-8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.93 MX$35.94

-8.29%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.61 MX$48.72

10.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.82 MX$164

15.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$8.58 MX$160

15.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.65 MX$255

2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.32 MX$61.9

19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.57 MX$29.20

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.11 MX$39.41

3.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.93 MX$35.94

12.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.81 MX$33.83

8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.79 MX$33.39

-11.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.46 MX$27.15

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.20 MX$22.38

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.57 MX$85.3

-13.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$17.26 MX$322

-20.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.20 MX$40.97

-24.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.89 MX$72.5

-41.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.57 MX$10.62

105.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$24.09 MX$449

221.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.28 MX$61.2

-61.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.59 MX$48.28

-20.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.97 MX$204

-22.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.47 MX$27.44

-8.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.2K MX$450.4K

41.00%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$22.8K MX$425.6K

51.87%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$55.9 MX$1,043

203.27%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$26.29 MX$490

-48.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$24.64 MX$459

13.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$47.48 MX$885

-7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$24.17 MX$450

-28.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.06 MX$132

-2.12%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$262 MX$4,888

203.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,028 MX$93.7K

81.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$52.1 MX$972

62.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$44.86 MX$836

29.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$99.9 MX$1,862

35.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$94.8 MX$1,768

3.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$842 MX$15.7K

43.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$560 MX$10.4K

14.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,447 MX$27.0K

40.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$836 MX$15.6K

21.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,019 MX$37.6K

106.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,122 MX$20.9K

70.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$951 MX$17.7K

-30.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.99

-8.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Queretaro

$560 40.1% 12.7% $82

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Queretaro

$300 21.5% 1.2% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Queretaro

$107 7.7% 49.4% $104

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Queretaro

$193 13.8% 13.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Queretaro

$131 9.4% 22.3% $38

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Queretaro

$43 3.1% 54.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Queretaro

$62 4.4% 7.1% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $842 in Queretaro. 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 45% higher in Queretaro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $61 in Queretaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $300 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

804,663

💱 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 Queretaro 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 18%, 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 $2,093 in Queretaro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Queretaro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $842 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $61 in Queretaro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Queretaro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,395 in Queretaro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Queretaro costs $1,395 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.