Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,245 in Matamoros versus $1,641 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,953 in Matamoros versus $2,447 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,660 in Matamoros versus $3,253 in Medellin.

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 24% less than in Medellin, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matamoros is 10% below, Medellin is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 MX$203

$8.04 COP 24.8K

48.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.23 MX$801

$48.29 COP 148.6K

-2.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 MX$156

$9.42 COP 29.0K

-2.55%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$62.9

$2.94 COP 9,040

26.19%

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

$1.50 MX$25.48

$1.86 COP 5,735

-19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 MX$19.47

$1.46 COP 4,479

-21.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 MX$49.27

$3.21 COP 9,882

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$76.1

$5.71 COP 17.6K

-21.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MX$29.87

$1.44 COP 4,428

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 MX$46.94

$2.40 COP 7,389

15.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$30.86

$1.70 COP 5,228

7.06%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.13

$2.89 COP 8,896

-12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 MX$148

$10.06 COP 30.9K

-13.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 MX$148

$9.97 COP 30.7K

-12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 MX$210

$14.20 COP 43.7K

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$48.61

$3.98 COP 12.3K

-27.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$27.54

$1.58 COP 4,878

2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.53

$2.15 COP 6,624

-2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$33.11

$2.30 COP 7,078

-15.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$34.90

$2.00 COP 6,169

3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 MX$32.42

$1.51 COP 4,646

26.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$25.74

$1.20 COP 3,701

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$19.67

$1.28 COP 3,946

-9.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MX$78.4

$3.84 COP 11.8K

20.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.60 MX$197

$14.01 COP 43.1K

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$32.86

$1.71 COP 5,256

13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 MX$55.7

$2.74 COP 8,440

19.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$11.55

$1.25 COP 3,834

-45.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 239.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MX$46.18

$1.31 COP 4,016

107.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 MX$36.26

$2.17 COP 6,680

-1.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.00 MX$204

$8.29 COP 25.5K

44.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$26.49

$1.36 COP 4,172

14.71%

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

$22.6K MX$382.7K

$27.5K COP 84.5M

-17.88%

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

$25.6K MX$433.8K

$36.5K COP 112.4M

-30.02%

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

$61.9 MX$1,049

$169 COP 519.2K

-63.34%

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

$24.37 MX$413

$13.57 COP 41.8K

79.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.52 MX$552

$28.32 COP 87.2K

14.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 MX$628

$45.71 COP 140.7K

-18.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.35 MX$362

$17.22 COP 53.0K

23.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 MX$97.1

$6.65 COP 20.5K

-13.98%

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

$245 MX$4,155

$803 COP 2.5M

-69.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,000 MX$84.8K

$9,190 COP 28.3M

-45.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 MX$981

$87.4 COP 268.8K

-33.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.52 MX$772

$59.4 COP 182.7K

-23.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,829

$139 COP 427.5K

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 MX$1,552

$102 COP 314.0K

-10.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 MX$11.1K

$1,071 COP 3.3M

-39.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 MX$7,187

$653 COP 2.0M

-35.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 MX$18.9K

$1,925 COP 5.9M

-41.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 MX$14.0K

$1,048 COP 3.2M

-21.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,989 MX$33.7K

$4,123 COP 12.7M

-51.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,213 MX$20.6K

$1,697 COP 5.2M

-28.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

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 Matamoros: September 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $652 in Matamoros and $1,071 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Matamoros vs $48.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $300 per month, with Matamoros 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

Matamoros vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,868 in Matamoros and $2,462 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: $652 in Matamoros versus $1,071 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $245 in Matamoros versus $803 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $48.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,245 in Matamoros versus $1,641 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matamoros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,245 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.