Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Pedro Garza Garcia

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,646 in San Pedro Garza Garcia, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
San Pedro Garza Garcia
🇲🇽 Mexico
$2,646
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Pedro Garza Garcia

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 Pedro Garza Garcia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,646 in San Pedro Garza Garcia, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • San Pedro Garza Garcia $2,646

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,885 in San Pedro Garza Garcia, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • San Pedro Garza Garcia $3,885

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $5,124 in San Pedro Garza Garcia, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • San Pedro Garza Garcia $5,124

Medellin is about 39% cheaper than San Pedro Garza Garcia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Medellin and San Pedro Garza Garcia sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, San Pedro Garza Garcia by 96%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$10.75 MX$199
-26.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$79.2 MX$1,464
-41.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$6.41 MX$118
48.21%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$3.65 MX$67.5
-14.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$1.79 MX$33.07
2.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$1.02 MX$18.83
35.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
$3.52 MX$65.0
-13.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
$5.32 MX$98.3
3.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$1.46 MX$26.91
-0.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$2.29 MX$42.25
3.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$1.93 MX$35.67
-12.95%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$2.29 MX$42.24
24.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$10.44 MX$193
-2.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$8.45 MX$156
12.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$9.88 MX$183
42.11%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$3.77 MX$69.6
7.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$1.49 MX$27.48
0.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$3.01 MX$55.5
-27.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$2.08 MX$38.43
11.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$2.83 MX$52.3
-31.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$2.07 MX$38.25
-20.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
$1.23 MX$22.80
-8.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$0.95 MX$17.64
31.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$4.30 MX$79.4
-7.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
$17.66 MX$326
-24.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
$1.38 MX$25.56
23.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
$1.45 MX$26.86
63.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
$0.75 MX$13.94
61.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
$49.33 MX$912
55.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$1.96 MX$36.29
-32.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
$2.01 MX$37.19
6.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
$16.17 MX$299
-47.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$1.42 MX$26.17
-8.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$19.4K MX$358.4K
44.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$24.0K MX$444.1K
47.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$47.31 MX$874
263.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$33.77 MX$624
-60.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$30.47 MX$563
-5.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
$84.1 MX$1,554
-46.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$5.64 MX$104
11.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$249 MX$4,597
209.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
$17.5K MX$322.9K
-48.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$57.0 MX$1,053
51.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
$44.05 MX$814
29.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$85.6 MX$1,581
59.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$123 MX$2,272
-20.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$1,675 MX$31.0K
-37.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$1,765 MX$32.6K
-65.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$3,913 MX$72.3K
-51.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$2,932 MX$54.2K
-65.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
$4,734 MX$87.5K
-14.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
$4,610 MX$85.2K
-63.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
San Pedro Garza Garcia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$1,115 MX$20.6K
-41.47%
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 12, 2026

Last update for San Pedro Garza Garcia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
San Pedro Garza Garcia
$1.8K 187% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
San Pedro Garza Garcia
$282 4.4% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
San Pedro Garza Garcia
$112 47.9% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
San Pedro Garza Garcia
$139 18.1% $31
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
San Pedro Garza Garcia
$188 11.9% $20
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
San Pedro Garza Garcia
$64 31% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
San Pedro Garza Garcia
$95 65% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,675 in San Pedro Garza Garcia. 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 71% higher in San Pedro Garza Garcia, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $79.0 in San Pedro Garza Garcia. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $282 in San Pedro Garza Garcia – so San Pedro Garza Garcia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇽 San Pedro Garza Garcia
🕒 Local time
02:41 2:41 AM
01:41 1:41 AM
1 h behind Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
132,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin San Pedro Garza Garcia 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • San Pedro Garza Garcia

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 Pedro Garza Garcia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Pedro Garza Garcia cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – San Pedro Garza Garcia is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $3,969 in San Pedro Garza Garcia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in San Pedro Garza Garcia?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $79.0 in San Pedro Garza Garcia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in San Pedro Garza Garcia?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $2,646 in San Pedro Garza Garcia. That's a gap of about 64%.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in San Pedro Garza Garcia?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in San Pedro Garza Garcia at $2,646. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pedro Garza Garcia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or San Pedro Garza Garcia more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or San Pedro Garza Garcia?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Pedro Garza Garcia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?