Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colima and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $941 in Colima versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Colima $941
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Colima versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Colima $1,533
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Colima versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Colima $2,125
Medellin $3,186

Living in Colima costs roughly 43% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Colima is 31% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.36 MX$138

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-9.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.08 MX$602

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-31.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 MX$134

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-24.74%

Cappuccino

$2.09 MX$39.23

$3.01 COP 9,722

-30.56%

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

$0.97 MX$18.25

$1.80 COP 5,801

-46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.52

$1.41 COP 4,554

-41.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MX$41.26

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$46.62

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-56.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.33

$1.51 COP 4,869

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.64

$2.38 COP 7,667

6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 MX$21.37

$1.77 COP 5,712

-35.59%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.0

$2.89 COP 9,320

-4.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$154

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 MX$156

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-15.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MX$182

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-30.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 MX$52.6

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-29.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MX$25.42

$1.55 COP 5,005

-12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.65

$2.18 COP 7,039

-22.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.79

$2.18 COP 7,041

-2.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 MX$43.04

$1.96 COP 6,328

16.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 MX$42.59

$1.59 COP 5,125

42.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$1.15 COP 3,694

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.89

$1.24 COP 4,009

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 MX$70.1

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-5.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 MX$119

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-53.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.96

$1.66 COP 5,352

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.53

$2.26 COP 7,281

-23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.70

$1.17 COP 3,766

-41.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 MX$367

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-74.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MX$46.74

$1.27 COP 4,089

96.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.77 MX$52.0

$2.05 COP 6,603

35.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.16 MX$172

$8.55 COP 27.6K

7.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.95

$1.35 COP 4,343

2.22%

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

$22.1K MX$415.8K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-34.99%

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

$22.0K MX$412.4K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-36.64%

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

$65.5 MX$1,229

$170 COP 547.0K

-61.41%

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

$19.85 MX$373

$13.55 COP 43.7K

46.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MX$537

$28.07 COP 90.5K

1.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MX$650

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-20.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$402

$17.19 COP 55.4K

24.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$88.0

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-32.27%

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

$141 MX$2,652

$797 COP 2.6M

-82.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,527 MX$47.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-72.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.57 MX$837

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-47.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.99 MX$469

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-56.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MX$1,376

$135 COP 435.2K

-45.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 MX$1,840

$97.9 COP 315.6K

0.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 MX$4,825

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-78.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 MX$4,931

$642 COP 2.1M

-59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 MX$6,926

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-81.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 MX$10.8K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-43.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 MX$5,261

$657 COP 2.1M

-57.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.94

3.29%

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

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colima

$263 27.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 144% $379

Groceries & Markets

Colima

$245 26%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 21.2% $52

Eating Out

Colima

$129 13.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 31.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colima

$114 12.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 85.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Colima

$108 11.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 55.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Colima

$44 4.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 30.8% $14

Getting Around

Colima

$39 4.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 142% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $257 in Colima and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Colima vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $297 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Colima

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h ahead of Colima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

146,965

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

Colima Medellin 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Colima
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

Colima vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $941 in Colima and $1,639 in Medellin, so Colima is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Colima. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $257 in Colima versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 75% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $141 in Colima versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.