Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tlaxcala

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlaxcala: $764 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Tlaxcala
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Tlaxcala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Tlaxcala

🇲🇽 Mexico

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tlaxcala

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $764 in Tlaxcala, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Tlaxcala $764

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,239 in Tlaxcala, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Tlaxcala $1,239

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,715 in Tlaxcala, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Tlaxcala $1,715

Medellin costs about 122% more than Tlaxcala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tlaxcala is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.43 MX$102

53.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$23.98 MX$450

94.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$5.80 MX$109

63.28%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.94 MX$55.2

6.46%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.67 MX$31.27

5.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$1.01 MX$18.97

40.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.57 MX$29.54

100.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.33 MX$43.69

144.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.60 MX$30.13

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.98 MX$37.10

15.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.46 MX$27.44

32.88%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.28 MX$42.76

34.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.13 MX$134

40.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.16 MX$116

69.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$10.62 MX$199

31.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.27 MX$42.67

78.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.20 MX$22.61

27.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.65 MX$31.02

27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.20 MX$22.59

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$0.90 MX$16.89

134.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.10 MX$20.74

55.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.83 MX$15.61

40.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.90 MX$16.83

75.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.36 MX$81.9

-10.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$10.57 MX$199

32.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.40 MX$26.34

25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$1.50 MX$28.26

80.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.46 MX$8.70

156.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$2.71 MX$51.0

-33.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.70 MX$31.99

25.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.43 MX$102

49.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.43 MX$26.78

-10.49%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$24.0K MX$450.9K

43.43%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$24.7K MX$464.6K

37.97%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$32.96 MX$619

439.23%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$19.11 MX$359

-27.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$34.65 MX$651

-11.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$32.81 MX$616

27.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$21.22 MX$399

-20.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.70 MX$88.3

58.94%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$244 MX$4,592

223.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$30.33 MX$570

184.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$48.13 MX$904

23.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$113 MX$2,121

22.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$91.2 MX$1,713

8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$255 MX$4,780

426.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$159 MX$2,990

319.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$489 MX$9,188

303.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$343 MX$6,442

201.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$649 MX$12.2K

-0.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.87

0.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tlaxcala: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Tlaxcala

$159 20.8% 76.1% $508

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Tlaxcala

$216 28.3% 29.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Tlaxcala

$87 11.4% 61% $136

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Tlaxcala

$119 15.6% 30.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Tlaxcala

$127 16.7% 26.2% $45

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Tlaxcala

$13 * 1.7% 86% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Tlaxcala

$42 5.5% 25.8% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $255 in Tlaxcala. 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 in Medellin versus $24 in Tlaxcala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $216 – making Tlaxcala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Tlaxcala

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,555

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Tlaxcala 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Tlaxcala

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 Tlaxcala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,146 in Tlaxcala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tlaxcala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $255 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in Tlaxcala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tlaxcala, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Tlaxcala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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