Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Waco, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,414 in Waco, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Waco, TX
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Waco, TX Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Waco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Waco, TX

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,414 in Waco, TX, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Waco, TX $2,414

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,069 in Waco, TX, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Waco, TX $3,069

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,724 in Waco, TX, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Waco, TX $3,724

Medellin is about 33% cheaper than Waco, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Waco, TX sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Waco, TX by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$15.16 $15.16

-47.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.1K

$60.6 $60.6

-23.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$12.07 $12.07

-21.29%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,920

$5.65 $5.65

-44.96%

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

$1.83 COP 5,832

$1.74 $1.74

5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,384

$1.46 $1.46

-5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,725

$4.89 $4.89

-37.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$5.55 $5.55

-0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,625

$0.80 $0.80

81.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,537

$3.31 $3.31

-28.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,358

$2.09 $2.09

-19.62%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,127

$2.77 $2.77

3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$11.83 $11.83

-13.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$9.37 $9.37

1.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$11.95 $11.95

17.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$3.70 $3.70

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,768

$1.16 $1.16

29.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,929

$3.84 $3.84

-43.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,350

$3.53 $3.53

-34.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,147

$2.29 $2.29

-15.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,224

$2.96 $2.96

-44.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,590

$1.77 $1.77

-36.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,976

$0.99 $0.99

26.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$8.60 $8.60

-53.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$13.97 $13.97

-4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,413

$1.69 $1.69

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,566

$3.80 $3.80

-37.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,848

$1.53 $1.53

-20.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.9K

$39.25 $39.25

94.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,202

$9.93 $9.93

-86.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,811

$1.83 $1.83

16.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$59.0 $59.0

-85.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,137

$0.90 $0.90

44.44%

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

$28.0K COP 89.2M

$36.7K $36.7K

-23.69%

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

$35.4K COP 112.9M

$25.0K $25.0K

41.38%

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

$172 COP 548.6K

$182 $182

-5.28%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$39.37 $39.37

-66.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.6K

$55.1 $55.1

-47.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.2K

$27.59 $27.59

63.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$8.73 $8.73

-28.06%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$744 $744

3.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$17.9K $17.9K

-49.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.5K

$46.68 $46.68

85.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.1K

$38.08 $38.08

50.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.3K

$85.0 $85.0

60.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.1K

$96.7 $96.7

1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$1,251 $1,251

-15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,322 $1,322

-53.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,593 $1,593

18.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$1,350 $1,350

-24.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,948 $1,948

108.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$1,962 $1,962

-14.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$3,176 $3,176

-79.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.49

68.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Waco, TX: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Waco, TX

$1.3K 54.7% 115% $706

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Waco, TX

$313 13% 6.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Waco, TX

$276 11.4% 28.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Waco, TX

$120 5% 29.5% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Waco, TX

$274 11.3% 62.5% $105

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Waco, TX

$64 2.7% 30.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Waco, TX

$45 1.9% 22.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,251 in Waco, TX. 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 387% higher in Waco, TX, 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 $61.0 in Waco, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $313 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Waco, TX

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

138,486

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,559 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Waco, TX 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Waco, TX

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 Waco, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waco, TX is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $3,621 in Waco, TX. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $61.0 in Waco, TX. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $2,414 in Waco, TX. That's a gap of about 50%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Waco, TX at $2,414. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waco, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waco, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.