Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tegucigalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tegucigalpa: $1,244 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
Tegucigalpa
🇭🇳 Honduras
$1,244
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tegucigalpa

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,244 in Tegucigalpa, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,589
  • Tegucigalpa $1,244

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,802 in Tegucigalpa, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,364
  • Tegucigalpa $1,802

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,361 in Tegucigalpa, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,139
  • Tegucigalpa $2,361

Medellin costs about 28% more than Tegucigalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Tegucigalpa is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.01 COP 25.5K
$7.66 HNL 206
4.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COP 148.3K
$31.92 HNL 857
45.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 COP 30.1K
$7.25 HNL 195
30.07%
Cappuccino
$2.91 COP 9,277
$2.22 HNL 59.7
31.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 COP 5,585
$1.07 HNL 28.85
63.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 COP 4,218
$1.01 HNL 27.20
30.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 COP 9,969
$1.15 HNL 30.79
172.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 COP 17.7K
$2.92 HNL 78.5
90.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 COP 4,495
$1.42 HNL 38.21
-0.70%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 COP 7,777
$1.89 HNL 50.9
29.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 COP 5,191
$1.28 HNL 34.34
27.34%
Eggs
$2.82 COP 8,990
$1.73 HNL 46.50
63.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 COP 30.9K
$6.86 HNL 184
41.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 COP 29.7K
$5.66 HNL 152
64.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 COP 42.9K
$8.94 HNL 240
50.56%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 COP 12.8K
$3.52 HNL 94.7
13.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 COP 4,719
$1.52 HNL 40.71
-2.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 COP 6,768
$2.20 HNL 59.1
-3.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.25 COP 7,178
$2.01 HNL 54.0
11.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 COP 6,092
$1.92 HNL 51.6
-0.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 COP 5,160
$2.02 HNL 54.2
-19.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,658
$1.06 HNL 28.52
8.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 COP 4,021
$0.99 HNL 26.48
27.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 COP 12.2K
$3.01 HNL 80.9
26.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 COP 41.8K
$9.45 HNL 254
38.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 COP 5,083
$1.53 HNL 41.16
4.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,188
$2.06 HNL 55.3
9.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,731
$1.10 HNL 29.46
6.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.0 COP 239.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,056
$3.76 HNL 101
-66.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,531
$1.99 HNL 53.4
3.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 COP 26.1K
$4.79 HNL 129
71.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 COP 4,046
$1.22 HNL 32.81
4.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K COP 85.3M
$19.4K HNL 520.0K
38.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K COP 109.6M
$22.0K HNL 590.5K
56.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 COP 516.9K
$142 HNL 3,826
13.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 COP 41.8K
$21.93 HNL 589
-40.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.09 COP 89.5K
$34.51 HNL 927
-18.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.33 COP 141.2K
$37.59 HNL 1,009
17.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 COP 52.0K
$14.64 HNL 393
11.54%
Cinema Ticket
$6.09 COP 19.4K
$5.69 HNL 153
7.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$764 COP 2.4M
$227 HNL 6,093
236.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,904 COP 28.4M
$6,731 HNL 180.8K
32.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.0 COP 270.8K
$52.8 HNL 1,419
60.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 COP 183.2K
$49.26 HNL 1,323
16.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$132 COP 419.8K
$104 HNL 2,788
26.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.8 COP 305.1K
$108 HNL 2,897
-11.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$457 HNL 12.3K
125.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 COP 1.9M
$463 HNL 12.4K
30.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,802 COP 5.7M
$1,209 HNL 32.5K
49.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$993 COP 3.2M
$747 HNL 20.1K
32.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,921 COP 12.5M
$2,728 HNL 73.3K
43.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,639 COP 5.2M
$1,575 HNL 42.3K
4.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$626 COP 2.0M
$610 HNL 16.4K
2.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
11.38
-3.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tegucigalpa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$604
Tegucigalpa
$463 23.4% $142
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$288
Tegucigalpa
$223 22.7% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$203
Tegucigalpa
$199 2.2% $4.5
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$166
Tegucigalpa
$141 15.2% $25
Eating Out
Medellin
$166
Tegucigalpa
$130 22.1% $37
Getting Around
Medellin
$91
Tegucigalpa
$18 * 80.2% $73
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Tegucigalpa
$49 13.3% $7.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $457 in Tegucigalpa. 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 3% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $32.00 in Tegucigalpa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $223 – making Tegucigalpa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇭🇳 Tegucigalpa
🕒 Local time
09:22 9:22 AM
08:22 8:22 AM
1 h behind Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,126,534 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.1 HNL (100 HNL = 3.32 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tegucigalpa 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tegucigalpa

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 Tegucigalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tegucigalpa cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,866 in Tegucigalpa. 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 Tegucigalpa, 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 Tegucigalpa?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $32.00 in Tegucigalpa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Tegucigalpa?
Groceries cost about 29% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Tegucigalpa?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tegucigalpa, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Tegucigalpa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Tegucigalpa more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tegucigalpa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Tegucigalpa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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