Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oaxaca de Juarez and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Oaxaca de Juarez: $1,124 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Oaxaca de Juarez
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Oaxaca de Juarez Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Oaxaca de Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,124

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,124 per month in Oaxaca de Juarez vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Oaxaca de Juarez $1,124
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,735 per month in Oaxaca de Juarez vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Oaxaca de Juarez $1,735
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,347 per month in Oaxaca de Juarez vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Oaxaca de Juarez $2,347
Medellin $3,186

Oaxaca de Juarez is about 31% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Oaxaca de Juarez sits 17% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.41 MX$120

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-20.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.43 MX$609

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-31.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 MX$148

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-17.05%

Cappuccino

$2.72 MX$51.1

$3.01 COP 9,722

-9.63%

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

$1.44 MX$26.96

$1.80 COP 5,801

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.97

$1.41 COP 4,554

-43.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 MX$44.68

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 MX$69.8

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-35.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$24.44

$1.51 COP 4,869

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 MX$55.4

$2.38 COP 7,667

23.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 MX$19.81

$1.77 COP 5,712

-40.11%

Eggs

$1.65 MX$31.03

$2.89 COP 9,320

-42.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 MX$121

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-36.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 MX$102

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-44.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.74 MX$202

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-23.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 MX$39.28

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-47.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.80

$1.55 COP 5,005

-25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.63

$2.18 COP 7,039

-15.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 MX$10.41

$2.18 COP 7,041

-74.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$37.60

$1.96 COP 6,328

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.86

$1.59 COP 5,125

20.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$20.02

$1.15 COP 3,694

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$17.05

$1.24 COP 4,009

-26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MX$77.6

$3.96 COP 12.8K

4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 MX$174

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MX$27.00

$1.66 COP 5,352

-13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 MX$49.42

$2.26 COP 7,281

16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.72

$1.17 COP 3,766

-55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 MX$72.8

$1.27 COP 4,089

205.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$2.05 COP 6,603

-5.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 MX$205

$8.55 COP 27.6K

27.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.48

$1.35 COP 4,343

0.74%

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

$23.8K MX$446.0K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-30.27%

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

$23.9K MX$449.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-31.00%

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

$59.8 MX$1,123

$170 COP 547.0K

-64.73%

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

$10.73 MX$201

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-20.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.45 MX$440

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-16.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.86 MX$823

$43.70 COP 140.9K

0.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MX$100

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-22.58%

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

$419 MX$7,871

$797 COP 2.6M

-47.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MX$362.9K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

112.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 MX$990

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-37.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 MX$1,136

$58.0 COP 186.9K

4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 MX$1,877

$135 COP 435.2K

-25.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 MX$1,758

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 MX$13.2K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-41.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,815

$642 COP 2.1M

-26.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 MX$21.9K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-42.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 MX$16.3K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-13.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.96

10.94

0.18%

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

Last update for Oaxaca de Juarez: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oaxaca de Juarez

$470 41.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 36.6% $172

Groceries & Markets

Oaxaca de Juarez

$216 19.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 37.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Oaxaca de Juarez

$138 12.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 22.4% $31

Eating Out

Oaxaca de Juarez

$136 12.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 24.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oaxaca de Juarez

$94 8.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 125% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Oaxaca de Juarez

$55 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 5.4% $3

Getting Around

Oaxaca de Juarez

$16 * 1.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 500% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $703 in Oaxaca de Juarez 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $297 – making Oaxaca de Juarez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Oaxaca de Juarez

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

15:17 3:17 PM

1 h ahead of Oaxaca de Juarez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,913

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Oaxaca de Juarez Medellin 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Oaxaca de Juarez
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

Oaxaca de Juarez vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,685 per month in Oaxaca de Juarez 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 Oaxaca de Juarez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $703 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Oaxaca de Juarez and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,124 in Oaxaca de Juarez and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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