Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel de Allende and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende: $1,581 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,581

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,581 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $1,581
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $2,514
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,448 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $3,448
Medellin $3,186

San Miguel de Allende is about 4% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Miguel de Allende and Medellin sit above the global median – San Miguel de Allende by 16%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.61 MX$274

$8.09 COP 26.1K

80.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$786

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-10.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.50 COP 30.6K

8.95%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$69.6

$3.01 COP 9,722

23.26%

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

$1.59 MX$29.81

$1.80 COP 5,801

-11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.70

$1.41 COP 4,554

-25.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 MX$66.8

$3.18 COP 10.2K

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MX$113

$5.75 COP 18.5K

4.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.60

$1.51 COP 4,869

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 MX$59.3

$2.38 COP 7,667

32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.40

$1.77 COP 5,712

3.39%

Eggs

$3.02 MX$56.7

$2.89 COP 9,320

4.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 MX$158

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-17.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 MX$227

$9.87 COP 31.8K

22.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 MX$337

$13.99 COP 45.1K

28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MX$74.8

$3.97 COP 12.8K

0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$30.45

$1.55 COP 5,005

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$2.18 COP 7,039

26.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 MX$54.0

$2.18 COP 7,041

32.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.97

$1.96 COP 6,328

33.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.59 COP 5,125

91.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MX$20.81

$1.15 COP 3,694

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 MX$25.06

$1.24 COP 4,009

7.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MX$81.9

$3.96 COP 12.8K

10.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.43 MX$309

$13.68 COP 44.1K

20.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 MX$43.74

$1.66 COP 5,352

40.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.26 COP 7,281

63.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.57

$1.17 COP 3,766

-52.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.06 MX$358

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-75.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 MX$80.6

$1.27 COP 4,089

237.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.38 MX$82.3

$2.05 COP 6,603

113.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.76 MX$202

$8.55 COP 27.6K

25.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.35 COP 4,343

11.85%

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

$24.5K MX$459.4K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-28.17%

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

$23.3K MX$437.2K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-32.84%

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

$40.27 MX$756

$170 COP 547.0K

-76.26%

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

$15.51 MX$291

$13.55 COP 43.7K

14.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.04 MX$770

$28.07 COP 90.5K

46.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 MX$689

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-16.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.08 MX$771

$17.19 COP 55.4K

138.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 MX$124

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-4.78%

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

$349 MX$6,548

$797 COP 2.6M

-56.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,839 MX$90.8K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-46.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 MX$1,229

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-22.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 MX$1,114

$58.0 COP 186.9K

2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,070

$135 COP 435.2K

-18.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 MX$2,749

$97.9 COP 315.6K

49.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 MX$19.6K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 MX$11.9K

$642 COP 2.1M

-1.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 MX$44.1K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

15.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 MX$23.2K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

22.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,652 MX$49.8K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-36.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,605 MX$30.1K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-15.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 MX$11.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

-8.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.05

10.94

10.15%

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

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel de Allende

$635 40.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 1% $6.5

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel de Allende

$347 22%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.4% $50

Eating Out

San Miguel de Allende

$233 14.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 27.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel de Allende

$172 10.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 1.6% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel de Allende

$97 6.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 118% $114

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 15.4% $7.7

Getting Around

San Miguel de Allende

$48 3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 96.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende 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 9% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in San Miguel de Allende versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $347 in San Miguel de Allende vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

1 h ahead of San Miguel de Allende

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,452

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Miguel de Allende Medellin 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Miguel de Allende
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 Miguel de Allende vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,371 per month in San Miguel de Allende 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 Miguel de Allende, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,046 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in San Miguel de Allende 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 $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes San Miguel de Allende about 4% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende 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 Miguel de Allende – 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 Miguel de Allende. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.