Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mesa, AZ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,573 in Mesa, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Mesa, AZ
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Mesa, AZ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mesa, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,573

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mesa, AZ and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mesa, AZ and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,573 per month in Mesa, AZ vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Mesa, AZ $2,573
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,821 per month in Mesa, AZ vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Mesa, AZ $3,821
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $5,069 per month in Mesa, AZ vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Mesa, AZ $5,069
Medellin $3,199

Mesa, AZ costs about 58% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mesa, AZ and Medellin sit above the global median – Mesa, AZ by 90%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$8.30 COP 26.3K

138.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$46.91 COP 148.7K

68.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 $13.37

$9.24 COP 29.3K

44.70%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$3.05 COP 9,676

95.41%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.80 COP 5,707

48.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.38 COP 4,382

57.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.24 COP 10.3K

83.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.48 $7.48

$5.56 COP 17.6K

34.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 COP 4,760

-37.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.37 COP 7,508

72.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.70 COP 5,377

250.00%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$2.96 COP 9,379

55.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 $13.64

$10.22 COP 32.4K

33.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.63 $13.63

$9.74 COP 30.9K

39.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 $17.03

$13.90 COP 44.1K

22.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$4.13 COP 13.1K

31.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.53 COP 4,839

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.22 COP 7,052

87.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.27 COP 7,194

133.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.99 COP 6,311

67.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.67 COP 5,285

80.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.18 COP 3,742

83.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.24 COP 3,919

109.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 $10.95

$3.87 COP 12.3K

182.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 $14.24

$13.78 COP 43.7K

3.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.66 COP 5,256

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.40 COP 7,615

43.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.24 COP 3,944

104.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.80 $34.80

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-55.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.28 COP 4,044

117.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$2.15 COP 6,803

-37.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.96 $35.96

$8.37 COP 26.5K

329.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.35 COP 4,288

-14.81%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

6.10%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-24.03%

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

$234 $234

$167 COP 528.4K

40.49%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$13.62 COP 43.2K

358.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 $72.7

$29.12 COP 92.3K

149.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.52 $41.52

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-7.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 $11.12

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-35.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.81 $12.81

$6.97 COP 22.1K

83.79%

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

$1,178 $1,178

$790 COP 2.5M

49.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

69.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 $54.4

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-38.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 $43.70

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-24.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$139 COP 440.7K

-28.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$98.9 COP 313.5K

15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$1,028 COP 3.3M

34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 $1,170

$620 COP 2.0M

88.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,300 $2,300

$1,881 COP 6.0M

22.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 $1,998

$1,008 COP 3.2M

98.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,186 $3,186

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-20.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,747 $2,747

$1,702 COP 5.4M

61.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,310 $4,310

$663 COP 2.1M

549.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

10.94

-41.13%

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

Last update for Mesa, AZ: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mesa, AZ

$1.2K 45.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 47% $550

Groceries & Markets

Mesa, AZ

$438 17%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 31.9% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mesa, AZ

$369 14.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 43.3% $160

Eating Out

Mesa, AZ

$334 13%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 48.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Mesa, AZ

$140 5.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 23.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mesa, AZ

$67 2.6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 12.1% $8.1

Getting Around

Mesa, AZ

$55 2.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 74.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,380 in Mesa, AZ versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 550% higher in Mesa, AZ, 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 $79.0 in Mesa, AZ versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $438 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mesa, AZ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

2 h ahead of Mesa, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

504,258

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mesa, AZ Medellin 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mesa, AZ
Medellin

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

Mesa, AZ vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mesa, AZ is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,859 per month in Mesa, AZ and $2,437 in Medellin. 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 $79.0 in Mesa, AZ and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,573 in Mesa, AZ and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 58%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Mesa, AZ at $2,573. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mesa, AZ 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, Mesa, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.