Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cozumel and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,161 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Cozumel versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Cozumel $1,161
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,878 in Cozumel versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Cozumel $1,878
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,596 in Cozumel versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Cozumel $2,596
Medellin $3,190

Living in Cozumel costs roughly 28% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cozumel is 14% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.86 MX$164

$7.93 COP 25.2K

11.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.13 MX$815

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-4.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 MX$150

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-14.32%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MX$53.8

$3.11 COP 9,866

-6.43%

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

$1.14 MX$21.12

$1.83 COP 5,800

-37.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.08

$1.38 COP 4,360

-25.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 MX$29.74

$3.05 COP 9,672

-47.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$58.9

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-42.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.56

$1.45 COP 4,600

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MX$30.85

$2.36 COP 7,496

-29.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$1.68 COP 5,328

1.79%

Eggs

$1.88 MX$34.77

$2.86 COP 9,077

-34.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 MX$191

$10.19 COP 32.3K

1.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 MX$143

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-18.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 MX$234

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-9.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 MX$46.12

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-38.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.63

$1.50 COP 4,742

-7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.24

$2.17 COP 6,891

-2.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.75

$2.31 COP 7,310

-32.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.90

$1.93 COP 6,113

14.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.88

$1.64 COP 5,196

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 MX$27.67

$1.13 COP 3,571

32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.71

$1.25 COP 3,954

-10.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MX$84.0

$3.99 COP 12.6K

13.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 MX$202

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MX$26.56

$1.70 COP 5,384

-15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$48.40

$2.37 COP 7,525

10.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.28

$1.21 COP 3,827

-49.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 MX$1,222

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-13.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.14

$1.32 COP 4,179

101.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 MX$54.8

$2.14 COP 6,774

38.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 MX$162

$8.47 COP 26.8K

3.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.33

$1.30 COP 4,114

9.23%

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

$20.0K MX$369.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-28.65%

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

$24.2K MX$447.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-31.61%

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

$57.8 MX$1,068

$172 COP 545.6K

-66.41%

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

$20.48 MX$378

$13.37 COP 42.4K

53.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.11 MX$409

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-23.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.66 MX$714

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-14.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 MX$378

$17.04 COP 54.0K

20.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.90 MX$109

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-6.05%

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

$264 MX$4,886

$770 COP 2.4M

-65.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,581 MX$66.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-60.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,026

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 MX$996

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-5.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,881

$137 COP 432.9K

-25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 MX$1,549

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-14.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 MX$11.1K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,069

$616 COP 2.0M

-37.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 MX$29.7K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-24.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,896 MX$35.0K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-53.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,154 MX$21.3K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-31.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$656 MX$12.1K

$652 COP 2.1M

0.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

10.94

6.40%

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

Last update for Cozumel: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cozumel

$383 33%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 61% $233

Groceries & Markets

Cozumel

$255 22%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 15.6% $40

Eating Out

Cozumel

$153 13.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 9.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cozumel

$133 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 28.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cozumel

$100 8.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 113% $114

Getting Around

Cozumel

$86 7.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 8.4% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cozumel

$50 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 14.6% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $602 in Cozumel and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cozumel pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Cozumel vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $295 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

Same time as Cozumel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,236

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

Cozumel Medellin 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cozumel
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

Cozumel vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cozumel and Medellin differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,161 vs $1,614 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Cozumel, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $602 in Cozumel versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,161 in Cozumel versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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.

Safety-wise, Cozumel and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.