Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Luis Potosi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis Potosi: $1,279 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Potosi
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San Luis Potosi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Luis Potosi

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,279

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,279 per month in San Luis Potosi vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Luis Potosi $1,279
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,990 per month in San Luis Potosi vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Luis Potosi $1,990
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,701 per month in San Luis Potosi vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Luis Potosi $2,701
Medellin $3,186

San Luis Potosi is about 22% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Luis Potosi sits 6% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 MX$257

$8.09 COP 26.1K

68.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.65 MX$783

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-11.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 MX$174

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-2.32%

Cappuccino

$3.15 MX$59.2

$3.01 COP 9,735

4.65%

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

$1.35 MX$25.46

$1.80 COP 5,809

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$17.93

$1.41 COP 4,561

-32.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 MX$87.1

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-19.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.79

$1.51 COP 4,876

1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 MX$45.84

$2.38 COP 7,678

2.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.97

$1.77 COP 5,720

-1.13%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$49.88

$2.89 COP 9,333

-8.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 MX$159

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-17.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 MX$190

$9.87 COP 31.9K

2.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 MX$215

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-18.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 MX$61.3

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-17.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MX$30.33

$1.55 COP 5,012

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 MX$41.06

$2.18 COP 7,048

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 MX$48.31

$2.18 COP 7,051

17.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 MX$49.21

$1.96 COP 6,337

33.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.59 COP 5,132

91.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MX$20.68

$1.15 COP 3,699

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 MX$24.78

$1.24 COP 4,014

6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 MX$73.7

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-1.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 MX$253

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 MX$38.07

$1.66 COP 5,359

22.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$71.5

$2.26 COP 7,291

68.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 MX$16.25

$1.17 COP 3,771

-26.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.4 MX$1,323

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-9.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 MX$15.91

$1.27 COP 4,094

-33.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 MX$31.00

$2.05 COP 6,612

-19.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 MX$185

$8.55 COP 27.6K

15.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.55

$1.35 COP 4,349

0.74%

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

$21.2K MX$398.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-37.75%

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

$23.1K MX$434.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-33.34%

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

$41.57 MX$781

$170 COP 547.8K

-75.50%

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

$15.91 MX$299

$13.55 COP 43.8K

17.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.72 MX$577

$28.07 COP 90.6K

9.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.10 MX$566

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-31.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.81 MX$504

$17.19 COP 55.5K

55.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.55 MX$104

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-19.68%

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

$250 MX$4,704

$797 COP 2.6M

-68.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,477 MX$65.3K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-61.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 MX$1,011

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-36.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 MX$712

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-34.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,880

$135 COP 435.8K

-25.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MX$1,423

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 MX$12.2K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-46.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 MX$8,387

$642 COP 2.1M

-30.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 MX$21.4K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-43.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 MX$14.1K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-25.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,395 MX$26.2K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-66.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$883 MX$16.6K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-53.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$853 MX$16.0K

$657 COP 2.1M

29.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.68

10.94

15.90%

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

Last update for San Luis Potosi: 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

San Luis Potosi

$446 34.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 43.8% $195

Groceries & Markets

San Luis Potosi

$294 23%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 1.1% $3.2

Eating Out

San Luis Potosi

$206 16.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 17.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

San Luis Potosi

$120 9.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 40.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Luis Potosi

$88 6.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 140% $123

Getting Around

San Luis Potosi

$83 6.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 12.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

San Luis Potosi

$41 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 39.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $647 in San Luis Potosi 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 30% higher in San Luis Potosi, 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 $42 in San Luis Potosi versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $294 vs $297 – making San Luis Potosi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Luis Potosi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

22:06 10:06 PM

1 h ahead of San Luis Potosi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

845,941

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Luis Potosi Medellin 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Luis Potosi
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 Luis Potosi vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,919 per month in San Luis Potosi 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 Luis Potosi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $647 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in San Luis Potosi 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 9% less in San Luis Potosi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,279 in San Luis Potosi 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 Luis Potosi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.