Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ensenada and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ensenada: $1,067 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
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Ensenada Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,067

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Ensenada versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Ensenada $1,067
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,704 in Ensenada versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Ensenada $1,704
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,340 in Ensenada versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Ensenada $2,340
Medellin $3,186

Living in Ensenada costs roughly 35% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ensenada is 22% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 MX$226

$8.09 COP 26.1K

48.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.29 MX$626

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-29.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 MX$133

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-25.58%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MX$56.2

$3.01 COP 9,735

-0.66%

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

$1.19 MX$22.42

$1.80 COP 5,809

-33.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 MX$13.20

$1.41 COP 4,561

-50.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 MX$51.1

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MX$76.7

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-29.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MX$33.73

$1.51 COP 4,876

18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$49.60

$2.38 COP 7,678

10.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.77

$1.77 COP 5,720

-7.34%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$47.59

$2.89 COP 9,333

-12.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 MX$153

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-20.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 MX$126

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-31.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.16 MX$191

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-27.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.83

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-45.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$29.20

$1.55 COP 5,012

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.39

$2.18 COP 7,048

-18.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.92

$2.18 COP 7,051

-27.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MX$24.68

$1.96 COP 6,337

-33.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.54

$1.59 COP 5,132

11.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$27.00

$1.15 COP 3,699

25.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.77

$1.24 COP 4,014

-15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 MX$73.9

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.15 MX$247

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 MX$32.95

$1.66 COP 5,359

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 MX$49.63

$2.26 COP 7,291

16.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 MX$15.87

$1.17 COP 3,771

-28.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 MX$796

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-45.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.27 COP 4,094

118.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 MX$35.92

$2.05 COP 6,612

-6.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.18 MX$360

$8.55 COP 27.6K

124.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$26.12

$1.35 COP 4,349

2.96%

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

$24.6K MX$461.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-27.85%

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

$23.3K MX$438.2K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-32.75%

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

$46.42 MX$872

$170 COP 547.8K

-72.64%

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

$31.55 MX$593

$13.55 COP 43.8K

132.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.24 MX$474

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-10.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 MX$513

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-37.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.72 MX$201

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-37.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 MX$84.4

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-35.02%

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

$190 MX$3,579

$797 COP 2.6M

-76.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,838 MX$90.9K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-46.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$999

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-37.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.89 MX$787

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-27.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,924

$135 COP 435.8K

-24.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 MX$1,081

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-41.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,734

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-57.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 MX$6,044

$642 COP 2.1M

-49.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 MX$18.4K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-51.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 MX$12.0K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-36.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,346 MX$25.3K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-67.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$666 MX$12.5K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-65.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 MX$12.2K

$657 COP 2.1M

-1.05%

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 Ensenada: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ensenada

$322 30.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 99.5% $320

Groceries & Markets

Ensenada

$251 23.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 18.4% $46

Eating Out

Ensenada

$182 17.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 7.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ensenada

$115 10.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 47.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ensenada

$103 9.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 105% $108

Getting Around

Ensenada

$58 5.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 61% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Ensenada

$36 3.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 58.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $518 in Ensenada and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33 in Ensenada vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $297 per month, with Ensenada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

3 h ahead of Ensenada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

330,652

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 = 2.77 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 = 20.98 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ensenada Medellin 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ensenada
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

Ensenada vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,067 in Ensenada and $1,639 in Medellin, so Ensenada is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,601 in Ensenada and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $518 in Ensenada versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,067 per month in Ensenada versus $1,639 in Medellin – Ensenada is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ensenada runs roughly 45% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ensenada gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Ensenada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.