Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Cristobal de las Casas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas: $897 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$897

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 San Cristobal de las Casas and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $897 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $897
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,399 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,399
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,900
Medellin $3,186

San Cristobal de las Casas is about 45% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Cristobal de las Casas sits 34% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 MX$99.3

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-34.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.46 MX$515

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-41.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 MX$109

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-38.53%

Cappuccino

$2.56 MX$47.95

$3.01 COP 9,734

-14.95%

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

$1.59 MX$29.86

$1.80 COP 5,809

-11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.42

$1.41 COP 4,560

-30.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 MX$60.3

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-44.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.14

$1.51 COP 4,875

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 MX$64.7

$2.38 COP 7,677

44.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.19

$1.77 COP 5,719

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.23 MX$41.73

$2.89 COP 9,332

-22.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 MX$120

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-37.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 MX$78.6

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-57.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.14 MX$115

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-56.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MX$61.5

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-17.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.23

$1.55 COP 5,011

31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.05

$2.18 COP 7,047

-1.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MX$26.44

$2.18 COP 7,050

-35.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.79

$1.96 COP 6,336

-16.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.36

$1.59 COP 5,131

11.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 MX$33.66

$1.15 COP 3,698

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 MX$28.64

$1.24 COP 4,014

23.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 MX$34.37

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-53.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 MX$192

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 MX$44.79

$1.66 COP 5,359

43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MX$34.69

$2.26 COP 7,290

-18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.48

$1.17 COP 3,770

-52.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.64 MX$499

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-65.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 MX$50.7

$1.27 COP 4,094

113.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$2.05 COP 6,611

32.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.33

$1.35 COP 4,348

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

$18.7K MX$351.2K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-44.99%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$31.80 MX$596

$170 COP 547.7K

-81.26%

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

$14.22 MX$267

$13.55 COP 43.7K

4.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.82 MX$372

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-29.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 MX$415

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-49.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.94 MX$430

$17.19 COP 55.5K

33.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.92 MX$130

$6.91 COP 22.3K

0.14%

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

$198 MX$3,718

$797 COP 2.6M

-75.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,631 MX$49.3K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-71.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.93 MX$355

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-77.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.46 MX$515

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-52.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 MX$1,799

$135 COP 435.7K

-28.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 MX$1,012

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 MX$7,941

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-64.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 MX$5,700

$642 COP 2.1M

-52.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 MX$15.9K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-58.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MX$9,998

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-47.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$799 MX$15.0K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-80.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$658 MX$12.3K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-65.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$403 MX$7,556

$657 COP 2.1M

-38.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.8

10.94

-10.42%

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

Last update for San Cristobal de las Casas: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Cristobal de las Casas

$304 33.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 111% $337

Groceries & Markets

San Cristobal de las Casas

$237 26.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.3% $60

Eating Out

San Cristobal de las Casas

$121 13.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 40.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 91.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Cristobal de las Casas

$66 7.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 221% $145

Getting Around

San Cristobal de las Casas

$45 5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 107% $48

Sport & Entertainment

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 59.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 63% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $297 – making San Cristobal de las Casas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h ahead of San Cristobal de las Casas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,509

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Cristobal de las Casas Medellin 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Cristobal de las Casas
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

San Cristobal de las Casas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,346 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 San Cristobal de las Casas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 $897 in San Cristobal de las Casas and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes San Cristobal de las Casas about 45% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $897 in San Cristobal de las Casas and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Cristobal de las Casas – 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 San Cristobal de las Casas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.