Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Saltillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Saltillo: $1,297 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Saltillo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,297 in Saltillo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Saltillo $1,297

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,064 in Saltillo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Saltillo $2,064

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,830 in Saltillo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Saltillo $2,830

Medellin costs about 26% more than Saltillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Saltillo is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$10.56 MX$197

-23.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$49.01 MX$913

-4.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.41 MX$119

48.21%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.59 MX$66.8

-16.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.32 MX$24.65

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.04 MX$19.37

35.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.20 MX$40.92

44.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.82 MX$71.1

50.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.42 MX$26.46

6.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.51 MX$65.4

-32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.92 MX$35.77

-7.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.20 MX$41.03

31.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$10.56 MX$197

-3.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$8.27 MX$154

19.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.92 MX$185

41.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.68 MX$49.84

48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.24 MX$23.14

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.66 MX$30.86

31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.94 MX$36.19

12.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$2.19 MX$40.86

-10.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$2.53 MX$47.21

-37.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.18 MX$22.02

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.09 MX$20.32

13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.24 MX$79.1

-6.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.09 MX$188

35.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.33 MX$43.49

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.48 MX$27.52

52.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.83 MX$15.53

40.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$16.21 MX$302

377.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.65 MX$49.45

-52.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.92 MX$35.80

6.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$16.00 MX$298

-46.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.46 MX$27.27

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$18.7K MX$348.9K

81.89%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$23.6K MX$440.2K

46.74%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$46.41 MX$865

265.55%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$33.09 MX$617

-59.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$29.04 MX$541

-3.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$56.1 MX$1,046

-22.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$13.31 MX$248

29.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$5.77 MX$107

19.76%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$245 MX$4,567

224.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$2,545 MX$47.4K

258.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$56.1 MX$1,044

51.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$55.0 MX$1,024

5.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$83.7 MX$1,560

61.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$122 MX$2,273

-19.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$557 MX$10.4K

116.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$502 MX$9,348

27.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$944 MX$17.6K

114.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$942 MX$17.6K

7.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$546 MX$10.2K

663.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$885 MX$16.5K

115.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$766 MX$14.3K

-14.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.53

3.89%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saltillo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Saltillo

$502 38.7% 21.8% $140

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Saltillo

$270 20.8% 9.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Saltillo

$109 8.4% 48.6% $103

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Saltillo

$175 13.5% 3.1% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Saltillo

$143 11% 15.6% $26

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Saltillo

$32 2.5% 66% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Saltillo

$68 5.2% 17.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $557 in Saltillo. 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 17% higher in Saltillo, 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 $49 in Saltillo. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $270 in Saltillo – so Saltillo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

19:55 7:55 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

864,431

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Saltillo 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Saltillo

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 Saltillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 26%, 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 $1,946 in Saltillo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saltillo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $557 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $49 in Saltillo. 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 $1,297 in Saltillo. That makes Saltillo about 21% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,297 in Saltillo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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