Cost of Living Comparison Between Lazaro Cardenas and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Lazaro Cardenas and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,116 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,018 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,760 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,609 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,403 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $2,200 in Medellin.

Living in Lazaro Cardenas is roughly 10% more expensive than in Medellin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lazaro Cardenas 16% lower, Medellin 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.41 MX$181

$5.93 COP 19.0K

75.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.29 MX$684

$33.12 COP 106.0K

18.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 MX$140

$7.12 COP 22.8K

13.20%

Cappuccino

$3.35 MX$58.2

$1.71 COP 5,457

95.91%

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

$1.23 MX$21.49

$1.05 COP 3,356

17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$16.79

$0.72 COP 2,311

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MX$41.59

$1.72 COP 5,502

38.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MX$69.4

$3.17 COP 10.2K

25.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.19

$1.06 COP 3,408

36.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$44.43

$1.31 COP 4,192

94.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$28.01

$1.33 COP 4,256

21.05%

Eggs

$2.40 MX$41.82

$2.28 COP 7,298

5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$140

$4.42 COP 14.1K

82.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 MX$140

$5.92 COP 18.9K

35.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$185

$8.64 COP 27.7K

23.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 MX$44.73

$2.34 COP 7,504

9.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$24.92

$1.10 COP 3,527

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.72

$1.47 COP 4,698

20.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$27.75

$1.38 COP 4,415

15.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 MX$33.16

$1.17 COP 3,754

63.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$34.96

$1.17 COP 3,744

71.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$21.84

$0.90 COP 2,890

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$17.17

$0.84 COP 2,693

17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 MX$72.4

$2.33 COP 7,449

78.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.08 MX$193

$11.92 COP 38.1K

-7.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$27.23

$1.15 COP 3,673

35.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$48.95

$2.42 COP 7,749

16.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$11.37

$0.84 COP 2,687

-22.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.83 COP 130.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$46.06

$1.41 COP 4,517

87.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 MX$27.87

$1.91 COP 6,127

-16.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 MX$140

$7.83 COP 25.0K

3.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.01

$0.94 COP 3,020

35.11%

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

$21.4K MX$371.6K

$17.8K COP 57.0M

19.85%

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

$22.0K MX$383.4K

$27.1K COP 86.7M

-18.64%

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

$55.8 MX$971

$83.3 COP 266.4K

-32.97%

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

$22.27 MX$388

$9.66 COP 30.9K

130.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.79 MX$484

$24.22 COP 77.5K

14.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.16 MX$629

$25.22 COP 80.7K

43.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.72 MX$274

$19.33 COP 61.9K

-18.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 MX$79.9

$4.07 COP 13.0K

12.78%

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

$209 MX$3,645

$307 COP 981.2K

-31.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,642 MX$63.4K

$5,981 COP 19.1M

-39.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 MX$909

$60.0 COP 191.9K

-12.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.37 MX$702

$32.65 COP 104.5K

23.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 MX$1,533

$101 COP 323.5K

-12.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 MX$1,372

$108 COP 345.7K

-27.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MX$8,795

$476 COP 1.5M

6.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 MX$6,956

$379 COP 1.2M

5.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 MX$16.0K

$816 COP 2.6M

12.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 MX$13.0K

$707 COP 2.3M

5.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 MX$33.1K

$3,190 COP 10.2M

-40.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,235 MX$21.5K

$1,446 COP 4.6M

-14.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$581 MX$10.1K

$622 COP 2.0M

-6.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

13.43

-14.52%

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

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: July 21, 2026

Last update for Medellin: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $505 in Lazaro Cardenas and $476 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Lazaro Cardenas vs $33.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $192 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

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

Lazaro Cardenas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Medellin. 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: $505 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $476 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $209 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $307 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $39.00 in Lazaro Cardenas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,018 in Medellin versus $1,116 in Lazaro Cardenas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lazaro Cardenas. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,018 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Lazaro Cardenas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.