Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toluca and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,114 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,114

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,114 per month in Toluca vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Toluca $1,114
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,826 per month in Toluca vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Toluca $1,826
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,539 per month in Toluca vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Toluca $2,539
Medellin $3,186

Toluca is about 32% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Toluca sits 18% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 MX$201

$8.09 COP 26.1K

32.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.64 MX$819

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-7.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 MX$170

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-4.53%

Cappuccino

$3.12 MX$58.6

$3.01 COP 9,722

3.65%

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

$1.25 MX$23.45

$1.80 COP 5,801

-30.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 MX$14.52

$1.41 COP 4,554

-45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 MX$39.66

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-33.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$62.8

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-41.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MX$32.87

$1.51 COP 4,869

15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 MX$58.1

$2.38 COP 7,667

29.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 MX$42.07

$1.77 COP 5,712

26.55%

Eggs

$3.15 MX$59.1

$2.89 COP 9,320

9.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 MX$148

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-22.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.19 MX$154

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-17.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.82 MX$166

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-36.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 MX$76.9

$3.97 COP 12.8K

3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 MX$39.10

$1.55 COP 5,005

34.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 MX$43.21

$2.18 COP 7,039

5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.52

$2.18 COP 7,041

6.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 MX$54.7

$1.96 COP 6,328

48.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 MX$43.17

$1.59 COP 5,125

44.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 MX$31.73

$1.15 COP 3,694

46.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.70

$1.24 COP 4,009

-19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 MX$91.3

$3.96 COP 12.8K

22.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 MX$229

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MX$37.28

$1.66 COP 5,352

19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 MX$68.6

$2.26 COP 7,281

61.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.76

$1.17 COP 3,766

-32.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.42 MX$834

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-42.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.27 COP 4,089

155.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 MX$36.69

$2.05 COP 6,603

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.12 MX$190

$8.55 COP 27.6K

18.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.03

$1.35 COP 4,343

6.67%

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

$24.5K MX$459.8K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-28.11%

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

$22.8K MX$427.8K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-34.28%

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

$55.9 MX$1,050

$170 COP 547.0K

-67.03%

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

$25.40 MX$477

$13.55 COP 43.7K

87.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.81 MX$597

$28.07 COP 90.5K

13.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.99 MX$751

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-8.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.69 MX$426

$17.19 COP 55.4K

32.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 MX$131

$6.91 COP 22.3K

1.01%

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

$219 MX$4,117

$797 COP 2.6M

-72.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,195 MX$97.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-42.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 MX$1,219

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-23.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MX$1,000

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-8.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,895

$135 COP 435.2K

-25.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 MX$1,979

$97.9 COP 315.6K

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 MX$7,740

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-65.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 MX$5,183

$642 COP 2.1M

-56.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 MX$18.9K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-50.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MX$11.1K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-41.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,288 MX$24.2K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-69.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$898 MX$16.9K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-52.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,238 MX$23.2K

$657 COP 2.1M

88.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.07

10.94

1.19%

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

Last update for Toluca: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Toluca

$289 25.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 2.9% $8.5

Accommodation & Living

Toluca

$276 24.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 132% $365

Eating Out

Toluca

$176 15.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 3.5% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Toluca

$146 13.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 15.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toluca

$113 10.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 86.7% $98

Getting Around

Toluca

$61 5.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 54.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Toluca

$54 4.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 6.6% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $412 in Toluca 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 88% higher in Toluca, 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 $44 in Toluca versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $297 – making Toluca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Toluca

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h ahead of Toluca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,876

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 November 1, 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 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toluca Medellin 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toluca
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

Toluca vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,671 per month in Toluca 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 Toluca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Toluca 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 $1,114 in Toluca and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Toluca about 32% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toluca, where all-in costs run around $1,114, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Toluca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Toluca is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.