Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piedras Negras and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,143 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,143

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,143 per month in Piedras Negras vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Piedras Negras $1,143
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Piedras Negras vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Piedras Negras $1,832
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,521 per month in Piedras Negras vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Piedras Negras $2,521
Medellin $3,199

Piedras Negras is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Piedras Negras sits 16% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 MX$204

$8.30 COP 26.3K

33.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 MX$819

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-5.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$162

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-5.41%

Cappuccino

$3.64 MX$67.3

$3.05 COP 9,676

19.34%

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

$1.40 MX$25.83

$1.80 COP 5,707

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.54

$1.38 COP 4,382

-23.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.57

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.9

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-28.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.34

$1.50 COP 4,760

6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$49.36

$2.37 COP 7,508

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$1.70 COP 5,377

-1.76%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$2.96 COP 9,379

-17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 MX$155

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-18.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 MX$157

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-12.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 MX$209

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-18.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$50.2

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-34.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.45

$1.53 COP 4,839

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.67

$2.22 COP 7,052

-13.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.34

$2.27 COP 7,194

-20.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.59

$1.99 COP 6,311

-3.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.71

$1.67 COP 5,285

8.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.41

$1.18 COP 3,742

21.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.73

$1.24 COP 3,919

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$79.1

$3.87 COP 12.3K

10.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$192

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-24.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$32.46

$1.66 COP 5,256

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 MX$59.7

$2.40 COP 7,615

34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.90

$1.24 COP 3,944

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 MX$46.95

$1.28 COP 4,044

98.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.21

$2.15 COP 6,803

-6.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.83 MX$200

$8.37 COP 26.5K

29.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 MX$23.90

$1.35 COP 4,288

-4.44%

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

$20.9K MX$386.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-39.83%

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

$23.9K MX$442.6K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-30.95%

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

$58.1 MX$1,073

$167 COP 528.4K

-65.15%

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

$23.02 MX$425

$13.62 COP 43.2K

69.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.92 MX$553

$29.12 COP 92.3K

2.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.75 MX$624

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-25.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.83 MX$366

$17.18 COP 54.5K

15.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 MX$98.5

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-23.53%

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

$219 MX$4,051

$790 COP 2.5M

-72.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,618 MX$85.3K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-48.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,015

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-37.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.64 MX$751

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-30.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 MX$1,835

$139 COP 440.7K

-28.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 MX$1,675

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 MX$11.1K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-41.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MX$7,221

$620 COP 2.0M

-36.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 MX$19.2K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-44.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 MX$13.9K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-25.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,878 MX$34.7K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-52.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 MX$21.6K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-31.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,645 MX$30.4K

$663 COP 2.1M

147.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.94

3.29%

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

Last update for Piedras Negras: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Piedras Negras

$391 34.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 58.5% $229

Groceries & Markets

Piedras Negras

$265 23.2%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 12.5% $33

Eating Out

Piedras Negras

$188 16.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 9.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Piedras Negras

$128 11.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 34.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piedras Negras

$111 9.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 88.6% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Piedras Negras

$44 3.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 32.9% $15

Getting Around

Piedras Negras

$15 * 1.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 527% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $599 in Piedras Negras 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 148% higher in Piedras Negras, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Piedras Negras versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $298 – making Piedras Negras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Piedras Negras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,959

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Piedras Negras Medellin 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Piedras Negras
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

Piedras Negras vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,714 per month in Piedras Negras 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 Piedras Negras, 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 $44.00 in Piedras Negras and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Piedras Negras, where all-in costs run around $1,143, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Piedras Negras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Piedras Negras – 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 Piedras Negras. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.