Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,392 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,392

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,392 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Mazatlan $1,392
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,002 per month in Mazatlan vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,002
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Mazatlan vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,612
Medellin $3,186

Mazatlan is about 15% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mazatlan and Medellin sit above the global median – Mazatlan by 2%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 MX$197

$8.09 COP 25.4K

30.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.04 MX$842

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-4.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 MX$154

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-13.05%

Cappuccino

$3.34 MX$62.4

$3.01 COP 9,485

10.96%

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

$1.41 MX$26.42

$1.80 COP 5,660

-21.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.95

$1.41 COP 4,443

-24.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 MX$37.00

$3.18 COP 9,990

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 MX$49.08

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-54.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$30.08

$1.51 COP 4,751

6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 MX$46.60

$2.38 COP 7,480

4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MX$25.12

$1.77 COP 5,573

-24.29%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$49.58

$2.89 COP 9,093

-8.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.85 MX$147

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-22.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 MX$127

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-31.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 MX$145

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-44.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$49.75

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.55 COP 4,883

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.81

$2.18 COP 6,867

-26.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 MX$8.60

$2.18 COP 6,870

-78.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.70

$1.96 COP 6,174

-16.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MX$24.35

$1.59 COP 5,000

-18.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.68

$1.15 COP 3,604

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 MX$73.7

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 MX$291

$13.68 COP 43.0K

13.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 MX$38.40

$1.66 COP 5,222

23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MX$58.5

$2.26 COP 7,104

38.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MX$13.57

$1.17 COP 3,674

-37.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.65 MX$741

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-48.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 MX$64.6

$1.27 COP 3,989

172.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 MX$44.57

$2.05 COP 6,442

16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.34

$1.35 COP 4,237

8.15%

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

$21.1K MX$394.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-38.00%

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

$24.0K MX$447.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-30.91%

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

$57.5 MX$1,074

$170 COP 533.7K

-66.11%

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

$45.40 MX$848

$13.55 COP 42.6K

235.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.54 MX$776

$28.07 COP 88.3K

47.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 MX$799

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-2.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 MX$82.9

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-35.75%

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

$87.0 MX$1,626

$797 COP 2.5M

-89.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,967 MX$36.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-78.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 MX$1,154

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-27.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.92 MX$503

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-53.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,038

$135 COP 424.6K

-19.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 MX$1,530

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-16.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 MX$15.0K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-33.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.4K

$642 COP 2.0M

-5.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 MX$23.3K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-38.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.4K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-18.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,520 MX$28.4K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-63.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,028 MX$19.2K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-46.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$520 MX$9,726

$657 COP 2.1M

-20.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

10.94

6.03%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: 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

Mazatlan

$607 43.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 5.6% $34

Groceries & Markets

Mazatlan

$230 * 16.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 28.9% $67

Eating Out

Mazatlan

$174 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 2.8% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazatlan

$144 10.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 46.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Mazatlan

$126 9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 34.3% $43

Getting Around

Mazatlan

$58 4.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 61.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Mazatlan

$52 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 11.4% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Mazatlan versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Mazatlan versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $297 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

2 h ahead of Mazatlan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

441,975

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mazatlan Medellin 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazatlan
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

Mazatlan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,392 in Mazatlan, $1,639 in Medellin – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,088 per month in Mazatlan and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mazatlan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Mazatlan and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,392 in Mazatlan and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mazatlan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mazatlan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.