Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $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 Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $941 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ecatepec $941
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,634 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,634
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,327 per month in Ecatepec vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,327
Medellin $3,186

Ecatepec is about 43% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ecatepec sits 31% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$8.09 COP 26.1K

30.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.51 MX$912

$47.05 COP 151.9K

3.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 MX$181

$9.50 COP 30.7K

1.37%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$65.4

$3.01 COP 9,735

15.61%

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

$1.57 MX$29.43

$1.80 COP 5,809

-12.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$19.20

$1.41 COP 4,561

-27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.18 COP 10.3K

0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-5.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$33.44

$1.51 COP 4,876

17.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 MX$50.7

$2.38 COP 7,678

13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 MX$37.00

$1.77 COP 5,720

11.30%

Eggs

$2.70 MX$50.7

$2.89 COP 9,333

-6.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.95 MX$168

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 MX$169

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 MX$248

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-5.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.55 COP 5,012

2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MX$37.12

$2.18 COP 7,048

-9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.72

$2.18 COP 7,051

-12.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 MX$34.02

$1.96 COP 6,337

-7.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MX$32.30

$1.59 COP 5,132

8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.32

$1.15 COP 3,699

26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.95

$1.24 COP 4,014

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$85.0

$3.96 COP 12.8K

14.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.00 MX$301

$13.68 COP 44.2K

16.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.51

$1.66 COP 5,359

16.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 MX$72.1

$2.26 COP 7,291

69.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.74

$1.17 COP 3,771

-41.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.56 MX$574

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-60.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.15

$1.27 COP 4,094

51.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 MX$9.18

$2.05 COP 6,612

-76.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 MX$104

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-35.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.88

$1.35 COP 4,349

5.93%

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

$21.3K MX$400.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-37.43%

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

$23.2K MX$435.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-33.16%

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

$56.3 MX$1,057

$170 COP 547.8K

-66.83%

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

$26.84 MX$504

$13.55 COP 43.8K

98.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.91 MX$449

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-14.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.75 MX$484

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-41.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 MX$200

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-38.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 MX$122

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-6.22%

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

$265 MX$4,983

$797 COP 2.6M

-66.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,979 MX$93.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-45.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 MX$1,093

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-31.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.37 MX$834

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-23.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 MX$1,864

$135 COP 435.8K

-26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 MX$1,810

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-1.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 MX$4,492

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-80.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 MX$2,521

$642 COP 2.1M

-79.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.5K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-67.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 MX$8,084

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-57.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$768 MX$14.4K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-81.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 MX$14.1K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-60.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MX$10.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

-16.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.94

3.75%

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

Last update for Ecatepec: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ecatepec

$296 31.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$193 20.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 11.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$134 14.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 26% $35

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$134 14.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 378% $507

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$107 11.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 97.4% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 48.6% $19

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 149% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Ecatepec versus $1,208 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 20% 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 $49 in Ecatepec versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $296 in Ecatepec vs $297 in Medellin – so Ecatepec wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

1 h ahead of Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ecatepec Medellin 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ecatepec
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

Ecatepec vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $941 in Ecatepec, $1,639 in Medellin – Ecatepec comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,411 per month in Ecatepec and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Ecatepec and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Ecatepec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $941, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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