Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Luis Potosi

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis Potosi: $1,279 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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 San Luis Potosi
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San Luis Potosi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Luis Potosi

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Luis Potosi

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,279 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Luis Potosi $1,279

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,990 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Luis Potosi $1,990

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,701 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Luis Potosi $2,701

Medellin costs about 28% more than San Luis Potosi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Luis Potosi is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.67 MX$257

-40.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$41.65 MX$783

12.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.28 MX$174

2.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.15 MX$59.2

-4.44%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.35 MX$25.46

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.95 MX$17.93

48.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.58 MX$48.54

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.64 MX$87.1

23.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.53 MX$28.79

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.44 MX$45.84

-2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.75 MX$32.97

1.14%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.65 MX$49.88

9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.44 MX$159

20.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$10.09 MX$190

-2.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.42 MX$215

22.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.26 MX$61.3

21.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.61 MX$30.33

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.18 MX$41.06

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.57 MX$48.31

-15.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.62 MX$49.21

-25.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$3.04 MX$57.1

-47.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.10 MX$20.68

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.32 MX$24.78

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.92 MX$73.7

1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$13.48 MX$253

1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.03 MX$38.07

-18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.80 MX$71.5

-40.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.86 MX$16.25

36.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$70.4 MX$1,323

9.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.85 MX$15.91

49.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.65 MX$31.00

24.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.86 MX$185

-13.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.36 MX$25.55

-0.74%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.2K MX$398.6K

60.64%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.1K MX$434.4K

50.02%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$41.57 MX$781

308.11%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$15.91 MX$299

-14.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$30.72 MX$577

-8.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.10 MX$566

45.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$26.81 MX$504

-35.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.55 MX$104

24.50%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$250 MX$4,704

218.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,477 MX$65.3K

162.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$53.8 MX$1,011

57.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$37.90 MX$712

52.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$100 MX$1,880

34.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$75.7 MX$1,423

29.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$647 MX$12.2K

86.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$446 MX$8,387

43.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,138 MX$21.4K

78.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$751 MX$14.1K

34.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,395 MX$26.2K

198.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$883 MX$16.6K

116.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$853 MX$16.0K

-22.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.68

-13.72%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Luis Potosi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Luis Potosi

$446 34.9% 30.4% $195

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Luis Potosi

$294 23% 1.1% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Luis Potosi

$88 6.9% 58.3% $123

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Luis Potosi

$206 16.1% 21.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Luis Potosi

$120 9.4% 28.8% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Luis Potosi

$83 6.5% 11.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Luis Potosi

$41 3.2% 28.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $647 in San Luis Potosi. 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 30% higher in San Luis Potosi, 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 $42 in San Luis Potosi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $294 – making San Luis Potosi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 San Luis Potosi

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

845,941

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Luis Potosi 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Luis Potosi

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 Luis Potosi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 28%, 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 $1,919 in San Luis Potosi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis Potosi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $647 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in San Luis Potosi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in San Luis Potosi. 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 $1,279 in San Luis Potosi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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