Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Azcapotzalco

For one person, living is cheaper in Azcapotzalco: $1,140 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Azcapotzalco
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Azcapotzalco Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Azcapotzalco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Azcapotzalco

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 Azcapotzalco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,140 in Azcapotzalco.

Medellin $1,614
Azcapotzalco $1,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,829 in Azcapotzalco.

Medellin $2,402
Azcapotzalco $1,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,517 in Azcapotzalco.

Medellin $3,190
Azcapotzalco $2,517

Living in Medellin is roughly 42% more expensive than in Azcapotzalco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Azcapotzalco is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.83 MX$200

-26.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$43.07 MX$796

7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.68 MX$160

9.45%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.62 MX$66.9

-14.09%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.41 MX$26.13

29.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.07 MX$19.75

28.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.50 MX$46.21

22.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.97 MX$73.4

38.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.66 MX$30.71

-12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.67 MX$49.35

-11.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.65 MX$30.43

1.82%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.54 MX$46.86

12.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.06 MX$149

26.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$8.38 MX$155

13.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.72 MX$217

19.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.75 MX$50.8

48.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.56 MX$28.82

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.86 MX$34.45

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.78 MX$32.94

29.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.01 MX$37.22

-3.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.89 MX$34.89

-13.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.48 MX$27.38

-23.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.08 MX$19.96

15.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.26 MX$78.7

-6.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.49 MX$194

27.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.73 MX$31.95

-1.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.06 MX$56.6

-22.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.69 MX$12.76

75.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.63 MX$48.59

-49.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.95 MX$35.99

9.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$11.65 MX$215

-27.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.45 MX$26.77

-10.34%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.5K MX$396.7K

30.39%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$24.1K MX$445.6K

46.87%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$58.5 MX$1,081

194.12%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$23.16 MX$428

-42.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$29.55 MX$546

-2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$34.65 MX$640

30.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$19.76 MX$365

-13.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.19 MX$95.9

21.00%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$217 MX$4,004

255.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$4,543 MX$83.9K

98.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$54.5 MX$1,008

58.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$41.10 MX$759

39.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$101 MX$1,860

35.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$89.8 MX$1,659

9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$607 MX$11.2K

73.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$388 MX$7,176

58.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,024 MX$18.9K

84.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$755 MX$14.0K

35.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,940 MX$35.8K

109.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,161 MX$21.5K

44.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,728 MX$31.9K

-62.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.3

-3.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Azcapotzalco: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Azcapotzalco

$388 34.1% 36.9% $227

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Azcapotzalco

$265 23.3% 10% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Azcapotzalco

$111 9.8% 48.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Azcapotzalco

$129 11.3% 24.3% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Azcapotzalco

$186 16.4% 10.7% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Azcapotzalco

$15 * 1.3% 83.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Azcapotzalco

$45 4% 22.1% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $607 in Azcapotzalco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Azcapotzalco pays 165% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $43.00 in Azcapotzalco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $265 per month, with Azcapotzalco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Azcapotzalco

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

432,205

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Azcapotzalco 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Azcapotzalco

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 Azcapotzalco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Azcapotzalco differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,140 including rent). Azcapotzalco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 165% lower in Azcapotzalco. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $607 in Azcapotzalco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $1,140 in Azcapotzalco – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,140 in Azcapotzalco versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Azcapotzalco but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Azcapotzalco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Azcapotzalco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.