Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: $1,625 and $1,611 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,611 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,409 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,207 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207

Medellin costs about 1% more than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Medellin and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$10.35 MX$191

-19.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$48.09 MX$889

-2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.88 MX$182

-6.48%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.37 MX$62.2

-9.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.44 MX$26.54

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.91 MX$16.86

51.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.39 MX$44.20

35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.41 MX$81.5

26.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.78 MX$32.84

-15.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$3.03 MX$55.9

-21.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.38 MX$43.92

-28.57%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.35 MX$43.47

25.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$11.47 MX$212

-10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$9.65 MX$178

0.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$13.41 MX$248

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.59 MX$47.82

59.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.57 MX$28.94

-2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.62 MX$29.98

37.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.71 MX$31.57

32.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.21 MX$22.29

64.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.84 MX$33.99

-9.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.77 MX$51.3

-57.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.21 MX$22.31

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.81 MX$88.9

-19.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.87 MX$201

26.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.54 MX$28.53

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.48 MX$64.3

-31.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.90 MX$16.59

37.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$52.4 MX$968

49.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.37 MX$80.8

-70.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.97 MX$54.9

-27.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$10.43 MX$193

-19.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.41 MX$26.14

-4.26%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.3K MX$394.1K

63.02%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$23.9K MX$441.5K

45.18%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$84.4 MX$1,560

97.41%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$24.86 MX$459

-45.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$31.45 MX$581

-7.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$45.08 MX$833

0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$30.06 MX$556

-42.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.13 MX$76.3

68.77%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$226 MX$4,180

249.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$8,280 MX$153.0K

9.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$71.3 MX$1,317

23.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$52.5 MX$970

10.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$95.2 MX$1,759

46.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$68.0 MX$1,257

45.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,190 MX$22.0K

-13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$733 MX$13.5K

-15.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$2,509 MX$46.4K

-25.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,179 MX$21.8K

-14.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,827 MX$70.7K

4.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,210 MX$40.8K

-23.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$750 MX$13.9K

-11.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.6

-5.69%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$733 45.5% 18.3% $113

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$297 18.4% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$141 8.7% 32.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$129 8% 25.2% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$183 11.4% 7.2% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$75 4.7% 21% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$53 3.3% 9.7% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. 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 13% higher in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $48.00 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $297 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – so Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

202,694

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,416 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $226 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,611, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. 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.