Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alamos, Sonora and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Alamos, Sonora: $1,195 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Alamos, Sonora
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Alamos, Sonora Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alamos, Sonora

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,195

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,195 per month in Alamos, Sonora vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Alamos, Sonora $1,195
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,875 per month in Alamos, Sonora vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Alamos, Sonora $1,875
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,555 per month in Alamos, Sonora vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Alamos, Sonora $2,555
Medellin $3,249

Alamos, Sonora is about 29% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Alamos, Sonora sits 12% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 MX$200

$8.34 COP 26.9K

27.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$806

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-7.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.53 MX$160

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-9.93%

Cappuccino

$3.57 MX$67.0

$3.13 COP 10.1K

14.06%

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

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.77 COP 5,705

-22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.90

$1.42 COP 4,601

-28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$46.10

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 MX$76.2

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-28.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$29.58

$1.53 COP 4,950

2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$48.44

$2.29 COP 7,401

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.78

$1.94 COP 6,282

-15.46%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$45.44

$3.07 COP 9,905

-21.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MX$150

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-20.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 MX$155

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-20.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 MX$215

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-17.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$52.0

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-31.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.32

$1.53 COP 4,937

1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$35.07

$2.10 COP 6,797

-10.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.89

$2.29 COP 7,409

-23.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$38.42

$2.11 COP 6,813

-2.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.71 COP 5,521

6.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.97

$1.17 COP 3,780

17.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.92

$1.58 COP 5,104

-32.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.3

$3.91 COP 12.6K

9.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 MX$190

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-27.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.46

$1.76 COP 5,690

-1.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MX$56.9

$2.71 COP 8,760

11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.60

$1.18 COP 3,811

-43.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.33 MX$570

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-60.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.81 COP 5,836

38.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 MX$36.96

$2.13 COP 6,878

-7.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 MX$198

$8.13 COP 26.3K

29.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.44

$1.28 COP 4,119

10.16%

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

$24.1K MX$451.9K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-30.13%

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

$23.4K MX$439.9K

$34.1K COP 110.3M

-31.38%

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

$57.5 MX$1,080

$178 COP 574.1K

-67.65%

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

$22.04 MX$414

$13.89 COP 44.9K

58.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$557

$30.74 COP 99.3K

-3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 MX$607

$41.94 COP 135.5K

-22.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 MX$371

$16.80 COP 54.3K

17.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 MX$97.1

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-30.79%

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

$217 MX$4,073

$790 COP 2.6M

-72.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,458 MX$83.7K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-63.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$1,000

$86.3 COP 278.9K

-38.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 MX$742

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-33.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 MX$1,859

$138 COP 446.9K

-28.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 MX$1,671

$98.8 COP 319.2K

-9.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.4K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-54.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$8,038

$667 COP 2.2M

-35.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 MX$19.5K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-47.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 MX$14.4K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-25.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,885 MX$35.4K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-54.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MX$21.5K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-41.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

10.94

3.38%

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

Last update for Alamos, Sonora: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alamos, Sonora

$428 35.8%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 55.9% $239

Groceries & Markets

Alamos, Sonora

$260 21.8%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 18.3% $48

Eating Out

Alamos, Sonora

$183 15.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 5.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Alamos, Sonora

$126 10.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 36.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alamos, Sonora

$109 9.1%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 104% $113

Getting Around

Alamos, Sonora

$45 3.8%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 106% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Alamos, Sonora

$43 3.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 33.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Alamos, Sonora versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Alamos, Sonora versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $307 – making Alamos, Sonora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Alamos, Sonora

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

2 h ahead of Alamos, Sonora

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,961

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alamos, Sonora Medellin 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Alamos, Sonora
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

Alamos, Sonora vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,792 per month in Alamos, Sonora and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alamos, Sonora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $217 per month in Alamos, Sonora and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Alamos, Sonora, where all-in costs run around $1,195, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Alamos, Sonora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Alamos, Sonora is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.