Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,138 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,138
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,443 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,443
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,747 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,747
Medellin $3,186

Quetzaltenango is about 31% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.77 Q 51.7

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-16.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 Q 389

$47.05 COP 151.7K

8.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 Q 58.7

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-19.16%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.69

$3.01 COP 9,722

11.63%

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

$1.10 Q 8.40

$1.80 COP 5,801

-38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 Q 7.44

$1.41 COP 4,554

-31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 Q 25.45

$3.18 COP 10.2K

4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 Q 35.27

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-19.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.01

$1.51 COP 4,869

39.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 Q 19.64

$2.38 COP 7,667

7.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 Q 15.69

$1.77 COP 5,712

15.82%

Eggs

$2.36 Q 18.05

$2.89 COP 9,320

-18.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 Q 48.69

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-37.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 Q 60.5

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-19.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 Q 100

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 Q 22.58

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-25.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.14

$1.55 COP 5,005

10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.34

$2.18 COP 7,039

33.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 Q 12.20

$2.18 COP 7,041

-26.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 Q 11.73

$1.96 COP 6,328

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 Q 16.79

$1.59 COP 5,125

38.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Q 5.65

$1.15 COP 3,694

-35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 Q 8.90

$1.24 COP 4,009

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.61

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-15.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 Q 61.5

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-41.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 Q 13.57

$1.66 COP 5,352

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 Q 19.84

$2.26 COP 7,281

15.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 Q 39.12

$1.27 COP 4,089

303.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.16

$2.05 COP 6,603

-16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 Q 79.0

$8.55 COP 27.6K

20.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.14

$1.35 COP 4,343

-1.48%

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

$27.6K Q 210.6K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-19.08%

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

$25.8K Q 197.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-25.45%

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

$72.2 Q 551

$170 COP 547.0K

-57.47%

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

$12.97 Q 99.1

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-4.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.36 Q 354

$28.07 COP 90.5K

65.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.27 Q 254

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-23.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 Q 48.46

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-8.25%

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

$342 Q 2,613

$797 COP 2.6M

-57.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,808 Q 52.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-25.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.78 Q 373

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-42.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.81 Q 365

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 839

$135 COP 435.2K

-18.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 853

$97.9 COP 315.6K

14.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 Q 3,052

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-66.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 Q 2,971

$642 COP 2.1M

-39.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

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 %)

11.62

10.94

6.22%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: 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

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 65% $253

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 12.8% $34

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 11.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 18.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 60.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.2% $12

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 581% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $399 in Quetzaltenango 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 $51 in Quetzaltenango versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Quetzaltenango vs $297 in Medellin – so Quetzaltenango wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

1 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 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 GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quetzaltenango Medellin 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
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

Quetzaltenango vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,707 per month in Quetzaltenango 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 Quetzaltenango, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $399 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Quetzaltenango and $47 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,138 in Quetzaltenango and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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