Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Monterrey and in Medellin: $1,647 and $1,639 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey 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 Monterrey and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Medellin $3,186

Monterrey and Medellin have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Monterrey and Medellin sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$251

$8.09 COP 25.4K

66.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$905

$47.05 COP 148.0K

2.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$204

$9.50 COP 29.9K

14.74%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.3

$3.01 COP 9,485

26.91%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$1.80 COP 5,660

-7.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.37

$1.41 COP 4,443

-30.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.91

$3.18 COP 9,990

-26.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.4

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-23.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.66

$1.51 COP 4,751

19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.2

$2.38 COP 7,480

17.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.10

$1.77 COP 5,573

2.82%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.95

$2.89 COP 9,093

-13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$226

$10.19 COP 32.1K

18.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$176

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$237

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-9.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.9

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-19.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.99

$1.55 COP 4,883

-3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.07

$2.18 COP 6,867

-1.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.38

$2.18 COP 6,870

6.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.14

$1.96 COP 6,174

12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.55

$1.59 COP 5,000

63.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.15 COP 3,604

25.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.93

$1.24 COP 3,911

-5.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.5

$3.96 COP 12.5K

20.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$247

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.30

$1.66 COP 5,222

16.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.9

$2.26 COP 7,104

27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.30

$1.17 COP 3,674

-25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$582

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-59.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.96

$1.27 COP 3,989

30.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.44

$2.05 COP 6,442

-46.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$8.55 COP 26.9K

24.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.53

$1.35 COP 4,237

8.89%

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

$24.2K MX$453.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-28.83%

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

$23.6K MX$440.1K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-32.07%

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

$118 MX$2,202

$170 COP 533.7K

-30.52%

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

$25.55 MX$477

$13.55 COP 42.6K

88.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$494

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-5.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$575

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$394

$17.19 COP 54.1K

22.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.1

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-26.34%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$797 COP 2.5M

-12.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$211.5K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

24.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,354

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-14.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$776

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-28.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,050

$135 COP 424.6K

-18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,148

$97.9 COP 307.9K

17.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-12.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$642 COP 2.0M

12.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.4K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-1.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

41.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.8K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

1.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.0K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

42.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$657 COP 2.1M

74.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.94

7.77%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 11.1% $80

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 2.1% $6.5

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 22% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 24.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 10.9% $17

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 124% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 40.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $1,208 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 75% higher in Monterrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Medellin 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
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

Monterrey vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,056 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $694 per month in Monterrey and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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