Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,207 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Nogales vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Nogales $1,207
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,877 per month in Nogales vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Nogales $1,877
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,547 per month in Nogales vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Nogales $2,547
Medellin $3,249

Nogales is about 29% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nogales sits 11% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 MX$198

$8.34 COP 26.9K

26.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.20 MX$808

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-7.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 MX$160

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-9.50%

Cappuccino

$3.44 MX$64.4

$3.13 COP 10.1K

9.90%

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

$1.35 MX$25.16

$1.77 COP 5,704

-23.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.59

$1.42 COP 4,600

-26.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 MX$46.08

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 MX$74.2

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-30.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.94

$1.53 COP 4,949

4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.54

$2.29 COP 7,399

10.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.70

$1.94 COP 6,281

-15.46%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$46.47

$3.07 COP 9,902

-19.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 MX$152

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-18.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$157

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 MX$213

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-18.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$50.1

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-33.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.08

$1.53 COP 4,936

-1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.87

$2.10 COP 6,795

-8.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$2.29 COP 7,407

-20.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.29

$2.11 COP 6,812

-8.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.07

$1.71 COP 5,519

6.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.76

$1.17 COP 3,779

17.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.81

$1.58 COP 5,102

-32.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$80.0

$3.91 COP 12.6K

9.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 MX$189

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-27.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.97

$1.76 COP 5,689

-2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MX$58.7

$2.71 COP 8,758

15.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$1.18 COP 3,810

-46.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 MX$555

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-61.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 MX$48.98

$1.81 COP 5,835

44.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 MX$37.22

$2.13 COP 6,876

-6.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 MX$205

$8.13 COP 26.3K

34.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.28 COP 4,118

15.62%

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

$23.6K MX$440.7K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-31.59%

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

$23.5K MX$439.6K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-31.14%

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

$56.7 MX$1,061

$178 COP 573.9K

-68.08%

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

$22.57 MX$422

$13.89 COP 44.8K

62.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.55 MX$553

$30.74 COP 99.3K

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.41 MX$606

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-22.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 MX$369

$16.80 COP 54.3K

17.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 MX$98.2

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-29.72%

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

$218 MX$4,084

$790 COP 2.6M

-72.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,499 MX$84.1K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-63.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 MX$1,006

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-37.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.92 MX$747

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-32.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.6 MX$1,826

$138 COP 446.7K

-29.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 MX$1,633

$98.8 COP 319.1K

-11.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 MX$11.0K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-56.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 MX$8,291

$667 COP 2.2M

-33.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 MX$19.2K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 MX$14.2K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-26.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MX$35.7K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-53.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 MX$21.3K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-41.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

10.94

3.38%

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

Last update for Nogales: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nogales

$443 36.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 50.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Nogales

$260 21.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 18% $47

Eating Out

Nogales

$181 15%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 4.8% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nogales

$125 10.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 37.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nogales

$109 9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 104% $113

Getting Around

Nogales

$45 3.7%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 109% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nogales

$43 3.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 32.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $587 in Nogales versus $1,341 in Medellin. 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 $43 in Nogales versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $307 – making Nogales the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nogales

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

2 h ahead of Nogales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,137

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nogales Medellin 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nogales
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

Nogales vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,810 per month in Nogales and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nogales, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $587 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Nogales and $47 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 $1,207 in Nogales and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Nogales about 29% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,207 in Nogales and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Nogales is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.