Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,135 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,135 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Isla Mujeres $1,135
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,803 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Isla Mujeres $1,803
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,471 in Isla Mujeres versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Isla Mujeres $2,471
Medellin $3,249

Living in Isla Mujeres costs roughly 33% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isla Mujeres is 16% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.61 MX$197

$8.34 COP 26.8K

27.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.45 MX$732

$46.53 COP 149.7K

-15.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 MX$147

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-16.47%

Cappuccino

$3.28 MX$60.8

$3.13 COP 10.1K

4.79%

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

$1.29 MX$24.03

$1.77 COP 5,681

-27.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 MX$16.58

$1.42 COP 4,582

-37.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 MX$42.08

$3.15 COP 10.1K

-27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MX$72.9

$5.70 COP 18.3K

-31.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.79

$1.53 COP 4,930

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 MX$46.56

$2.29 COP 7,370

9.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.83

$1.94 COP 6,257

-20.10%

Eggs

$2.38 MX$44.17

$3.07 COP 9,864

-22.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 MX$150

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-22.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$198

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.49

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.63

$1.53 COP 4,916

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$2.10 COP 6,769

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.85

$2.29 COP 7,378

-24.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.11

$2.11 COP 6,785

-12.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.61

$1.71 COP 5,498

12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$23.45

$1.17 COP 3,764

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.81

$1.58 COP 5,083

-36.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 MX$78.0

$3.91 COP 12.6K

7.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 MX$203

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.85

$1.76 COP 5,667

-8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$50.5

$2.71 COP 8,724

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.17

$1.18 COP 3,795

-44.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.36 MX$563

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-60.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 MX$48.58

$1.81 COP 5,812

44.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 MX$29.92

$2.13 COP 6,849

-24.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.12 MX$151

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$23.48

$1.28 COP 4,102

-0.78%

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

$20.8K MX$385.4K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-39.70%

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

$22.4K MX$416.2K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-34.30%

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

$57.0 MX$1,058

$178 COP 571.7K

-67.92%

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

$22.37 MX$415

$13.89 COP 44.7K

61.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 MX$521

$30.74 COP 98.9K

-8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.42 MX$676

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-13.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 MX$294

$16.80 COP 54.0K

-5.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.66 MX$86.5

$7.47 COP 24.0K

-37.62%

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

$207 MX$3,850

$790 COP 2.5M

-73.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,591 MX$66.6K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

-70.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 MX$1,001

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-37.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.34 MX$749

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-31.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 MX$1,649

$138 COP 445.0K

-35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 MX$1,447

$98.8 COP 317.8K

-21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 MX$9,362

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-62.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 MX$7,309

$667 COP 2.1M

-40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 MX$17.3K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-52.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 MX$14.0K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-26.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,761 MX$32.7K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-57.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 MX$21.7K

$1,940 COP 6.2M

-39.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

10.94

4.94%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla Mujeres

$394 34.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 69.4% $273

Groceries & Markets

Isla Mujeres

$250 22.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 22.7% $57

Eating Out

Isla Mujeres

$176 15.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 1.9% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Isla Mujeres

$118 10.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 46.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla Mujeres

$107 9.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 107% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Isla Mujeres

$46 4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 24.4% $11

Getting Around

Isla Mujeres

$44 3.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 114% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $504 in Isla Mujeres and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Isla Mujeres vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $307 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

Same time as Isla Mujeres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,174

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Isla Mujeres Medellin 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Isla Mujeres
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

Isla Mujeres vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,135 in Isla Mujeres and $1,692 in Medellin, so Isla Mujeres is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,702 in Isla Mujeres and $2,538 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: $504 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Isla Mujeres versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

For families, Isla Mujeres is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.