Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tehuacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehuacan: $1,188 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Tehuacan
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Tehuacan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Tehuacan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tehuacan

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,188 in Tehuacan, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Tehuacan $1,188

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,914 in Tehuacan, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Tehuacan $1,914

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,641 in Tehuacan, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Tehuacan $2,641

Medellin costs about 37% more than Tehuacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tehuacan is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$11.08 MX$205

-25.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$43.80 MX$809

7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.86 MX$164

4.29%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.24 MX$59.8

-5.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.32 MX$24.41

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.82 MX$15.14

68.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.14 MX$39.53

51.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.48 MX$64.3

59.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.79 MX$33.16

-16.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$3.16 MX$58.5

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.21 MX$40.85

-23.08%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.09 MX$57.0

-4.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$7.93 MX$147

28.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$8.22 MX$152

18.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.04 MX$167

53.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$4.33 MX$80.1

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.00 MX$37.03

-23.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.33 MX$42.96

-4.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.29 MX$42.23

-0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.96 MX$54.7

-32.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.46 MX$45.49

-32.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.67 MX$30.84

-29.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.01 MX$18.62

22.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.07 MX$93.8

-23.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$12.70 MX$235

8.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.02 MX$37.27

-17.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.79 MX$70.0

-36.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.69 MX$12.76

79.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.20 MX$59.1

-60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.94 MX$35.92

10.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$10.23 MX$189

-18.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.31 MX$24.20

3.05%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.2K MX$502.3K

27.88%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$23.5K MX$434.1K

47.65%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$58.2 MX$1,076

186.14%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$25.71 MX$475

-47.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$32.63 MX$603

-10.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$34.54 MX$638

30.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$19.90 MX$368

-13.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$7.01 MX$130

-0.57%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$230 MX$4,255

243.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$5,188 MX$95.9K

74.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$65.6 MX$1,212

33.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$53.8 MX$994

8.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$105 MX$1,942

32.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$107 MX$1,971

-7.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$609 MX$11.3K

68.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$385 MX$7,112

60.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,028 MX$19.0K

82.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$763 MX$14.1K

31.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,939 MX$35.8K

105.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,168 MX$21.6K

45.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.07

-1.17%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tehuacan: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Tehuacan

$385 32.4% 37.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Tehuacan

$293 24.7% 1.7% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Tehuacan

$117 9.8% 44.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Tehuacan

$149 12.6% 13.7% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Tehuacan

$180 15.2% 5.5% $9.5

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Tehuacan

$16 * 1.3% 83.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Tehuacan

$49 4.1% 17.7% $10

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 $609 in Tehuacan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $44.00 in Tehuacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $293 – making Tehuacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Tehuacan

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

293,825

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Tehuacan 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tehuacan

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 Tehuacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,782 in Tehuacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tehuacan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $44.00 in Tehuacan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tehuacan, where all-in costs run around $1,188, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Tehuacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tehuacan – 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 Tehuacan. 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.