Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,203 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Acuna

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,203 in Acuna, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Acuna $1,203

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,872 in Acuna, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Acuna $1,872

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,540 in Acuna, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Acuna $2,540

Medellin costs about 41% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Acuna is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.82 MX$201

-22.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$42.78 MX$796

8.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.73 MX$163

8.48%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.49 MX$64.9

-10.32%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.40 MX$26.00

26.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.99 MX$18.46

43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.49 MX$46.35

26.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.92 MX$72.9

45.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.56 MX$28.95

-1.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.58 MX$47.92

-11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.64 MX$30.54

18.29%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.45 MX$45.67

25.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.25 MX$154

21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$7.96 MX$148

31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$11.30 MX$210

23.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.61 MX$48.58

55.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.56 MX$29.10

-1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.84 MX$34.25

14.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.78 MX$33.19

28.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$2.04 MX$37.97

3.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.82 MX$33.94

-6.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.43 MX$26.59

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.12 MX$20.86

41.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.20 MX$78.1

-6.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$10.27 MX$191

36.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.79 MX$33.27

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.16 MX$58.8

-14.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.62 MX$11.51

90.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$29.62 MX$551

157.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.54 MX$47.30

-28.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.93 MX$35.88

10.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$10.78 MX$201

-24.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.32 MX$24.52

-3.03%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$23.3K MX$432.7K

48.12%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$23.7K MX$440.8K

44.10%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$57.2 MX$1,065

210.55%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$22.85 MX$425

-39.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$29.20 MX$543

5.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$32.41 MX$603

29.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$20.22 MX$376

-16.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.97 MX$92.5

50.30%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$218 MX$4,055

262.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,512 MX$84.0K

172.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$54.3 MX$1,010

59.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$39.96 MX$744

48.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$97.7 MX$1,817

41.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$89.5 MX$1,666

10.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$596 MX$11.1K

124.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$436 MX$8,121

52.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,039 MX$19.3K

90.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$751 MX$14.0K

37.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,911 MX$35.6K

114.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,107 MX$20.6K

75.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.31

-3.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acuna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Acuna

$436 36.3% 34.6% $231

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Acuna

$260 21.6% 15.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Acuna

$109 9.1% 50.9% $113

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Acuna

$184 15.3% 6.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Acuna

$127 10.5% 26.5% $46

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Acuna

$44 3.7% 52.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Acuna

$42 3.5% 25.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $596 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $43 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $260 – making Acuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

160,225

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Acuna 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Acuna

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

Medellin vs Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,804 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,203 in Acuna. That makes Acuna about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Acuna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Acuna is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.