Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Miguel de Allende

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende: $1,581 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Miguel de Allende

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 Miguel de Allende actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Miguel de Allende $1,581

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,514 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Miguel de Allende $2,514

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,448 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Miguel de Allende $3,448

Medellin costs about 4% more than San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and San Miguel de Allende sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, San Miguel de Allende by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.61 MX$275

-44.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$41.89 MX$787

12.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.35 MX$195

-8.21%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.71 MX$69.6

-18.87%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.59 MX$29.84

13.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.05 MX$19.72

34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.56 MX$66.9

-10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.01 MX$113

-4.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.52 MX$28.63

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.16 MX$59.4

-24.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.83 MX$34.44

-3.28%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.02 MX$56.7

-4.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.39 MX$158

21.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$12.10 MX$227

-18.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$17.94 MX$337

-22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.98 MX$74.9

-0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.62 MX$30.48

-4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.75 MX$51.6

-20.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.88 MX$54.0

-24.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.61 MX$49.02

-24.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$3.05 MX$57.4

-47.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.11 MX$20.83

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.33 MX$25.09

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.36 MX$81.9

-9.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$16.43 MX$309

-16.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.33 MX$43.79

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.69 MX$69.3

-38.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.56 MX$10.58

108.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$19.06 MX$358

305.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.29 MX$80.7

-70.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$4.38 MX$82.4

-53.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.76 MX$202

-20.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.51 MX$28.33

-10.60%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.5K MX$459.9K

39.22%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.3K MX$437.6K

48.89%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$40.27 MX$757

321.28%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$15.51 MX$292

-12.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$41.04 MX$771

-31.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$36.69 MX$690

19.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$41.08 MX$772

-58.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.58 MX$124

5.02%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$349 MX$6,555

128.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,839 MX$90.9K

88.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$65.5 MX$1,230

29.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$59.3 MX$1,115

-2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$110 MX$2,072

22.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$146 MX$2,752

-33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,046 MX$19.7K

15.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$635 MX$11.9K

1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,351 MX$44.2K

-13.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,237 MX$23.3K

-18.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,652 MX$49.8K

57.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,605 MX$30.2K

19.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$604 MX$11.3K

8.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.05

-9.21%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Miguel de Allende

$635 40.2% 1% $6.5

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Miguel de Allende

$347 22% 16.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Miguel de Allende

$97 6.1% 54.2% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Miguel de Allende

$233 14.7% 37.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Miguel de Allende

$172 10.9% 1.6% $2.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Miguel de Allende

$48 3% 49.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.2% 13.3% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende. 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 9% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $42 in San Miguel de Allende. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $347 in San Miguel de Allende – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

72,452

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin San Miguel de Allende 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Miguel de Allende

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 Miguel de Allende: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 4%, 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 $2,371 in San Miguel de Allende. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Miguel de Allende, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,046 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in San Miguel de Allende. 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 $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende. That makes San Miguel de Allende about 4% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Miguel de Allende – 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 Miguel de Allende. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.