Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Cristobal de las Casas

For one person, living is cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas: $897 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Cristobal de las Casas

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 San Cristobal de las Casas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $897 in San Cristobal de las Casas, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Cristobal de las Casas $897

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,399 in San Cristobal de las Casas, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Cristobal de las Casas $1,399

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,900 in San Cristobal de las Casas, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Cristobal de las Casas $1,900

Medellin costs about 83% more than San Cristobal de las Casas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Cristobal de las Casas is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.30 MX$99.3

52.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$27.46 MX$515

71.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.84 MX$109

62.67%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.56 MX$47.95

17.58%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.59 MX$29.86

13.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.98 MX$18.42

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.72 MX$51.0

16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.22 MX$60.3

78.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.45 MX$27.14

4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$3.45 MX$64.7

-31.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.50 MX$28.19

18.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.23 MX$41.73

29.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.39 MX$120

59.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.19 MX$78.6

135.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.14 MX$115

127.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.28 MX$61.5

21.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.04 MX$38.23

-24.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.14 MX$40.05

1.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.41 MX$26.44

54.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.64 MX$30.79

19.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.78 MX$33.36

-10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.80 MX$33.66

-36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.53 MX$28.64

-18.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.83 MX$34.37

116.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.26 MX$192

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.39 MX$44.79

-30.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.85 MX$34.69

22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.56 MX$10.48

108.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$26.64 MX$499

190.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.71 MX$50.7

-53.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.72 MX$51.0

-24.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.35 MX$25.33

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$18.7K MX$351.2K

81.79%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$31.80 MX$596

433.49%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$14.22 MX$267

-4.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$19.82 MX$372

41.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$22.13 MX$415

97.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$22.94 MX$430

-25.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.92 MX$130

-0.14%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$198 MX$3,718

301.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,631 MX$49.3K

246.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$18.93 MX$355

347.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$27.46 MX$515

111.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$96.0 MX$1,799

40.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$54.0 MX$1,012

81.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$424 MX$7,941

185.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$304 MX$5,700

110.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$847 MX$15.9K

139.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$534 MX$9,998

89.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$799 MX$15.0K

421.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$658 MX$12.3K

190.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$403 MX$7,556

62.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.8

11.63%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Cristobal de las Casas: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$304 33.9% 52.6% $337

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$237 26.4% 20.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$66 7.3% 68.8% $145

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$121 13.5% 28.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.9% 47.7% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$45 5% 51.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 4% 37.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $424 in San Cristobal de las Casas. 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 63% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $27 in San Cristobal de las Casas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $237 – making San Cristobal de las Casas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

183,509

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Cristobal de las Casas 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Cristobal de las Casas

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 San Cristobal de las Casas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,346 in San Cristobal de las Casas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in San Cristobal de las Casas. 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 $897 in San Cristobal de las Casas. That makes San Cristobal de las Casas about 45% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $897 in San Cristobal de las Casas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with San Cristobal de las Casas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.