Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acapulco and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Acapulco vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Acapulco $859
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,435 per month in Acapulco vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Acapulco $1,435
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,012 per month in Acapulco vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Acapulco $2,012
Medellin $3,190

Acapulco is about 47% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Acapulco sits 36% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.48 MX$175

$7.93 COP 25.2K

19.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 MX$696

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-18.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 MX$221

$9.50 COP 30.1K

26.00%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$3.11 COP 9,866

20.90%

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

$1.63 MX$30.10

$1.83 COP 5,800

-10.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$30.65

$1.38 COP 4,360

20.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$55.4

$3.05 COP 9,672

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$88.4

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-12.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.36

$1.45 COP 4,600

9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$2.36 COP 7,496

22.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.11

$1.68 COP 5,328

Eggs

$1.79 MX$33.06

$2.86 COP 9,077

-37.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 MX$123

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-34.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 MX$149

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-15.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$199

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-23.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 MX$84.7

$4.07 COP 12.9K

12.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$1.50 COP 4,742

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.17 COP 6,891

55.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.9

$2.31 COP 7,310

35.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 MX$64.2

$1.93 COP 6,113

79.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$1.64 COP 5,196

80.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MX$24.12

$1.13 COP 3,571

15.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.46

$1.25 COP 3,954

-37.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 MX$151

$3.99 COP 12.6K

104.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 MX$123

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-50.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.74

$1.70 COP 5,384

-34.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MX$49.94

$2.37 COP 7,525

13.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MX$16.27

$1.21 COP 3,827

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MX$89.6

$1.32 COP 4,179

267.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.16

$1.30 COP 4,114

13.08%

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

$21.1K MX$389.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-24.65%

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

$24.8K MX$458.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-29.96%

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

$39.89 MX$737

$172 COP 545.6K

-76.82%

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

$14.81 MX$274

$13.37 COP 42.4K

10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 MX$401

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-24.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.02 MX$351

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-57.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 MX$256

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-18.72%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$71.6

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-38.38%

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

$162 MX$2,994

$770 COP 2.4M

-78.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 MX$1,191

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-25.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 MX$824

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-21.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,985

$137 COP 432.9K

-21.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 MX$1,538

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-15.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,593

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-50.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 MX$2,763

$616 COP 2.0M

-75.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$17.7K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-49.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 MX$6,118

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-67.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 MX$8,293

$652 COP 2.1M

-31.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

10.94

6.03%

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

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Acapulco

$269 31.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 9.7% $26

Eating Out

Acapulco

$195 22.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 13.5% $26

Accommodation & Living

Acapulco

$150 17.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 312% $466

Clothing & Footwear

Acapulco

$135 15.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 26.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acapulco

$76 8.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 180% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Acapulco

$27 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 116% $31

Getting Around

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 1015% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Acapulco 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 45% higher in Medellin, 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 $38.00 in Acapulco versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $295 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h ahead of Acapulco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,609

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Acapulco Medellin 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Acapulco
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

Acapulco vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 88% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Acapulco 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 Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Acapulco and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 88%.

Kindergarten costs $162 per month in Acapulco and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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