Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mayaguez and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mayaguez: $1,294 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Medellin, Colombia
Mayaguez
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,294
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Mayaguez versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Mayaguez $1,294
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,001 in Mayaguez versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Mayaguez $2,001
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,709 in Mayaguez versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Mayaguez $2,709
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Mayaguez costs roughly 21% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mayaguez is 5% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.98 $12.98
$8.09 COP 26.1K
60.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.5 $68.5
$47.05 COP 151.7K
45.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.18 $9.18
$9.50 COP 30.6K
-3.37%
Cappuccino
$3.51 $3.51
$3.01 COP 9,722
16.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.80 COP 5,801
-31.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.41 COP 4,554
-23.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 $3.05
$3.18 COP 10.2K
-4.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.27 $4.27
$5.75 COP 18.5K
-25.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 $2.19
$1.51 COP 4,869
45.03%
White Bread (500g)
$3.58 $3.58
$2.38 COP 7,667
50.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 $2.34
$1.77 COP 5,712
32.20%
Eggs
$7.46 $7.46
$2.89 COP 9,320
158.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.64 $12.64
$10.19 COP 32.9K
24.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.47 $9.47
$9.87 COP 31.8K
-4.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.38 $13.38
$13.99 COP 45.1K
-4.36%
Apples (1kg)
$4.92 $4.92
$3.97 COP 12.8K
23.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.55 COP 5,005
72.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.83 $4.83
$2.18 COP 7,039
121.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.74 $4.74
$2.18 COP 7,041
117.43%
Potato (1kg)
$3.68 $3.68
$1.96 COP 6,328
87.76%
Onion (1kg)
$4.03 $4.03
$1.59 COP 5,125
153.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.52 $3.52
$1.15 COP 3,694
206.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 $1.64
$1.24 COP 4,009
32.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.03 $12.03
$3.96 COP 12.8K
203.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.79 $15.79
$13.68 COP 44.1K
15.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.97 $2.97
$1.66 COP 5,352
78.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 $4.06
$2.26 COP 7,281
79.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.17 COP 3,766
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 249.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.57 $2.57
$1.27 COP 4,089
102.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 $1.54
$2.05 COP 6,603
-24.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.63 $42.63
$8.55 COP 27.6K
398.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.96 $0.96
$1.35 COP 4,343
-28.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K $34.1K
$34.1K COP 109.8M
0.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K $27.4K
$34.7K COP 111.8M
-21.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$323 $323
$170 COP 547.0K
90.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$68.6 $68.6
$13.55 COP 43.7K
406.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.5 $69.5
$28.07 COP 90.5K
147.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.80 $27.80
$43.70 COP 140.9K
-36.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 55.4K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.48 $10.48
$6.91 COP 22.3K
51.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$837 $837
$797 COP 2.6M
5.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K $12.7K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
38.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 $56.1
$84.7 COP 273.2K
-33.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.0 $61.0
$58.0 COP 186.9K
5.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 $111
$135 COP 435.2K
-18.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 $116
$97.9 COP 315.6K
18.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$642 COP 2.1M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,012 COP 3.3M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,170 COP 13.4M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mayaguez
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$657 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
10.94
-40.13%

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

Last update for Mayaguez: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mayaguez
$461
Medellin
$211 54.1% $249
Groceries & Markets
Mayaguez
$413
Medellin
$297 28.2% $116
Eating Out
Mayaguez
$207
Medellin
$170 17.9% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Mayaguez
$155
Medellin
$169 9.4% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Mayaguez
$49
Medellin
$58 18% $8.8
Getting Around
Mayaguez
$10 *
Medellin
$94 812% $83
Accommodation & Living
Mayaguez
- *
Medellin
$642

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68 in Mayaguez vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇷 Mayaguez
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
11:49 11:49 AM
10:49 10:49 AM
1 h behind Mayaguez
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
57,566
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mayaguez Medellin 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mayaguez
  • 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
Mayaguez vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mayaguez cheaper than Medellin?
Mayaguez is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,941 in Mayaguez 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $837 in Mayaguez versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Mayaguez or in Medellin?
Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $68 in Mayaguez. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Mayaguez or in Medellin?
At $1,294 in Mayaguez versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mayaguez but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mayaguez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Mayaguez or in Medellin?
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.

Mayaguez vs other spots: cost of living compared

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