Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Woodlands, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,121 in The Woodlands, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in The Woodlands, TX
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The Woodlands, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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The Woodlands, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$3,121

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,121 per month in The Woodlands, TX vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

The Woodlands, TX $3,121
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,188 per month in The Woodlands, TX vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

The Woodlands, TX $4,188
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $5,254 per month in The Woodlands, TX vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

The Woodlands, TX $5,254
Medellin $3,190

The Woodlands, TX costs about 93% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both The Woodlands, TX and Medellin sit above the global median – The Woodlands, TX by 131%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 $20.12

$7.93 COP 25.2K

153.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 $95.4

$46.13 COP 146.3K

106.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 $10.70

$9.50 COP 30.1K

12.63%

Cappuccino

$4.49 $4.49

$3.11 COP 9,866

44.37%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.83 COP 5,800

38.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.38 COP 4,360

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.05 COP 9,672

64.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 $5.52

$5.50 COP 17.4K

0.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.45 COP 4,600

-22.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.36 COP 7,496

-3.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.68 COP 5,328

88.10%

Eggs

$2.29 $2.29

$2.86 COP 9,077

-19.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-14.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$9.53 COP 30.2K

52.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.02 $26.02

$14.04 COP 44.5K

85.33%

Apples (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.07 COP 12.9K

86.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.50 COP 4,742

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$2.17 COP 6,891

244.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$2.31 COP 7,310

231.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.93 COP 6,113

68.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.64 COP 5,196

36.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.13 COP 3,571

18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.25 COP 3,954

145.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.99 COP 12.6K

46.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 $11.46

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.70 COP 5,384

20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.37 COP 7,525

-37.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.80 $14.80

$8.47 COP 26.8K

74.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.30 COP 4,114

-36.92%

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

$47.7K $47.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

70.52%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-30.14%

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

$198 $198

$172 COP 545.6K

15.11%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$13.37 COP 42.4K

336.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.74 $49.74

$28.73 COP 91.1K

73.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.63 $35.63

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-21.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$18.13 $18.13

$6.28 COP 19.9K

188.69%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.84 $37.84

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-56.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.87 $19.87

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-65.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 $62.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-54.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 $66.1

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-32.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 $1,877

$1,055 COP 3.3M

77.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 $1,921

$616 COP 2.0M

212.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,035 $3,035

$1,892 COP 6.0M

60.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,451 $2,451

$1,023 COP 3.2M

139.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,837 $1,837

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-54.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,678 COP 5.3M

10.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,834 $7,834

$652 COP 2.1M

1100.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

10.94

-38.67%

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

Last update for The Woodlands, TX: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Woodlands, TX

$1.9K 61.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 68% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

The Woodlands, TX

$437 14%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 32.6% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Woodlands, TX

$306 9.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 30.1% $92

Eating Out

The Woodlands, TX

$301 9.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 44% $132

Clothing & Footwear

The Woodlands, TX

$84 2.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 103% $86

Sport & Entertainment

The Woodlands, TX

$72 2.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 19.6% $14

Getting Around

The Woodlands, TX

- * 0%

Medellin

$93 5.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,877 in The Woodlands, TX versus $1,055 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 1101% higher in The Woodlands, TX, 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 $95.0 in The Woodlands, TX versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $437 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 The Woodlands, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as The Woodlands, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,847

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

The Woodlands, TX Medellin 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

The Woodlands, TX
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

The Woodlands, TX vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – The Woodlands, TX is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,681 per month in The Woodlands, TX and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in The Woodlands, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in The Woodlands, TX and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in The Woodlands, TX at $3,121. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Woodlands, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, The Woodlands, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.