Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,398 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Medellin $3,190

Cancun is about 13% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cancun and Medellin sit above the global median – Cancun by 4%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$7.93 COP 25.2K

36.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$46.13 COP 146.3K

16.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$9.50 COP 30.1K

21.58%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$3.11 COP 9,866

24.12%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$1.83 COP 5,800

-26.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$1.38 COP 4,360

-39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.05 COP 9,672

0.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-24.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$1.45 COP 4,600

13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$2.36 COP 7,496

9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.68 COP 5,328

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.86 COP 9,077

-2.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-7.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$14.04 COP 44.5K

1.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-28.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.50 COP 4,742

11.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$2.17 COP 6,891

38.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$2.31 COP 7,310

-5.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$1.93 COP 6,113

0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$1.64 COP 5,196

19.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$1.13 COP 3,571

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$1.25 COP 3,954

-2.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$3.99 COP 12.6K

8.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-24.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$1.70 COP 5,384

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.37 COP 7,525

18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$1.21 COP 3,827

-43.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-61.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$1.32 COP 4,179

228.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$2.14 COP 6,774

31.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$8.47 COP 26.8K

61.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$1.30 COP 4,114

17.69%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-23.77%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-32.79%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$172 COP 545.6K

-0.98%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$13.37 COP 42.4K

75.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$28.73 COP 91.1K

35.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-28.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-22.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$6.28 COP 19.9K

16.08%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$770 COP 2.4M

-73.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-40.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-37.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-3.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$137 COP 432.9K

-45.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-37.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$616 COP 2.0M

-25.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-25.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

3.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-68.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

15.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$652 COP 2.1M

22.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.94

4.66%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 34.7% $159

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 2.8% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 8% $19

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 15.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 36.3% $45

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 85.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 23.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun 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 23% higher in Cancun, 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 $54.0 in Cancun versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Cancun vs $295 in Medellin – so Cancun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

Same time as Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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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Between locations

Cancun Medellin 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun 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 Cancun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,398, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,398 in Cancun to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cancun. 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.