Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tucson, AZ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,327 in Tucson, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tucson, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,327

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,327 per month in Tucson, AZ vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Tucson, AZ $2,327
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,432 per month in Tucson, AZ vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Tucson, AZ $3,432
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,537 per month in Tucson, AZ vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Tucson, AZ $4,537
Medellin $3,186

Tucson, AZ costs about 42% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tucson, AZ and Medellin sit above the global median – Tucson, AZ by 71%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.86 $19.86

$8.09 COP 26.1K

145.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$47.05 COP 151.7K

68.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.06 $13.06

$9.50 COP 30.6K

37.47%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$3.01 COP 9,722

70.43%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$1.80 COP 5,801

52.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.41 COP 4,554

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.18 COP 10.2K

122.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$5.75 COP 18.5K

27.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.51 COP 4,869

-37.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.38 COP 7,667

37.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$1.77 COP 5,712

189.27%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$2.89 COP 9,320

57.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$10.19 COP 32.9K

32.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$9.87 COP 31.8K

15.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.96 $16.96

$13.99 COP 45.1K

21.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.97 COP 12.8K

17.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.55 COP 5,005

20.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.18 COP 7,039

81.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.18 COP 7,041

87.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.96 COP 6,328

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.59 COP 5,125

83.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.15 COP 3,694

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.24 COP 4,009

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 $11.04

$3.96 COP 12.8K

178.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.23 $13.23

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-3.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.66 COP 5,352

46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.26 COP 7,281

66.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.27 COP 4,089

111.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.05 COP 6,603

-31.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.18 $36.18

$8.55 COP 27.6K

323.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.35 COP 4,343

-20.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

5.15%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-23.06%

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

$194 $194

$170 COP 547.0K

14.55%

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

$62.9 $62.9

$13.55 COP 43.7K

363.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$28.07 COP 90.5K

164.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.51 $36.51

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-16.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-41.48%

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 $13.14

$6.91 COP 22.3K

90.16%

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

$1,053 $1,053

$797 COP 2.6M

32.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K $15.8K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

73.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-35.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.38 $43.38

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-25.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 $97.1

$135 COP 435.2K

-28.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$97.9 COP 315.6K

14.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 $1,434

$1,208 COP 3.9M

18.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 $1,063

$642 COP 2.1M

65.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 $2,264

$2,028 COP 6.5M

11.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$1,012 COP 3.3M

70.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,364 $3,364

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-19.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,539 $2,539

$1,910 COP 6.2M

32.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,016 $4,016

$657 COP 2.1M

511.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

10.94

-41.13%

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

Last update for Tucson, AZ: 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

Tucson, AZ

$1.1K 45.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 39.6% $421

Groceries & Markets

Tucson, AZ

$392 16.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 24.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tucson, AZ

$332 14.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 36.3% $120

Eating Out

Tucson, AZ

$330 14.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.5% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Tucson, AZ

$138 5.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 22.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Tucson, AZ

$63 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 8.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Tucson, AZ

$9.7 * 0.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 862% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,434 in Tucson, AZ 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 in Tucson, AZ are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Tucson, AZ versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tucson, AZ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

2 h ahead of Tucson, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,116

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tucson, AZ Medellin 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tucson, AZ
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

Tucson, AZ vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tucson, AZ is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,490 per month in Tucson, AZ 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,434 in Tucson, AZ.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Tucson, AZ and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Tucson, AZ, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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.

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