Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queretaro and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,395 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,395

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Queretaro vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Queretaro $1,395
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,130 per month in Queretaro vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Queretaro $2,130
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,866 per month in Queretaro vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Queretaro $2,866
Medellin $3,186

Queretaro is about 15% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Queretaro and Medellin sit above the global median – Queretaro by 3%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.58 MX$197

$8.09 COP 25.4K

30.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.4 MX$1,144

$47.05 COP 148.0K

30.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 MX$174

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$66.9

$3.01 COP 9,485

19.27%

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

$1.57 MX$29.23

$1.80 COP 5,660

-12.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.28

$1.41 COP 4,443

-26.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 MX$58.8

$3.18 COP 9,990

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 MX$98.5

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-8.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.83

$1.51 COP 4,751

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 MX$48.53

$2.38 COP 7,480

9.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.94

$1.77 COP 5,573

9.04%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$48.72

$2.89 COP 9,093

-9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$164

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 MX$160

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-13.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.65 MX$255

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 MX$61.9

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-16.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.20

$1.55 COP 4,883

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.41

$2.18 COP 6,867

-3.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.94

$2.18 COP 6,870

-11.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.83

$1.96 COP 6,174

-7.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.39

$1.59 COP 5,000

12.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$27.15

$1.15 COP 3,604

26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.38

$1.24 COP 3,911

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 MX$85.3

$3.96 COP 12.5K

15.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.26 MX$322

$13.68 COP 43.0K

26.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 MX$40.97

$1.66 COP 5,221

32.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 MX$72.5

$2.26 COP 7,103

72.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.62

$1.17 COP 3,674

-51.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.09 MX$449

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-68.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 MX$61.2

$1.27 COP 3,989

158.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 MX$48.28

$2.05 COP 6,442

26.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$204

$8.55 COP 26.9K

28.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.44

$1.35 COP 4,237

8.89%

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

$24.2K MX$450.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-29.08%

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

$22.8K MX$425.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-34.15%

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

$55.9 MX$1,043

$170 COP 533.7K

-67.03%

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

$26.29 MX$490

$13.55 COP 42.6K

94.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.64 MX$459

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-12.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.48 MX$885

$43.70 COP 137.5K

8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.17 MX$450

$17.19 COP 54.1K

40.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.06 MX$132

$6.91 COP 21.7K

2.17%

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

$262 MX$4,888

$797 COP 2.5M

-67.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,028 MX$93.7K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-44.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 MX$972

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-38.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 MX$836

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-22.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 MX$1,862

$135 COP 424.6K

-25.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 MX$1,768

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 MX$15.7K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-30.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 MX$10.4K

$642 COP 2.0M

-12.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 MX$27.0K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-28.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 MX$15.6K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-17.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,019 MX$37.6K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-51.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 MX$20.9K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-41.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 MX$17.7K

$657 COP 2.1M

44.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

10.94

9.60%

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

Last update for Queretaro: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queretaro

$560 40.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 14.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Queretaro

$300 21.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 1.1% $3.4

Eating Out

Queretaro

$193 13.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 11.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Queretaro

$131 9.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 28.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queretaro

$107 7.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 97.7% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Queretaro

$62 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 6.6% $4.1

Getting Around

Queretaro

$43 3.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 120% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $842 in Queretaro 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 45% higher in Queretaro, 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 $61 in Queretaro versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h ahead of Queretaro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

804,663

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Queretaro Medellin 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Queretaro
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

Queretaro vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,093 per month in Queretaro 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 Queretaro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $842 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Queretaro and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Queretaro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,395 in Queretaro and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Queretaro costs $1,395 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.