Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Coatzacoalcos

For one person, living is cheaper in Coatzacoalcos: $1,207 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Coatzacoalcos, Mexico
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Coatzacoalcos
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,207
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Coatzacoalcos

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,207 in Coatzacoalcos, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Coatzacoalcos $1,207

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,904 in Coatzacoalcos, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Coatzacoalcos $1,904

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,600 in Coatzacoalcos, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Coatzacoalcos $2,600

Medellin costs about 36% more than Coatzacoalcos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Coatzacoalcos is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$11.14 MX$209
-27.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$46.72 MX$875
0.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$8.38 MX$157
13.37%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$3.32 MX$62.2
-9.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.32 MX$24.77
36.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$1.11 MX$20.72
27.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$2.44 MX$45.75
30.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$3.52 MX$65.9
63.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.39 MX$26.06
8.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$2.18 MX$40.79
9.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$1.60 MX$29.95
10.62%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.35 MX$44.11
22.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$7.35 MX$138
38.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$7.28 MX$136
35.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$12.61 MX$236
10.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.84 MX$53.2
39.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$1.30 MX$24.30
19.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$1.75 MX$32.79
24.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$1.60 MX$29.91
36.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$2.15 MX$40.32
-8.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$1.69 MX$31.64
-5.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$1.31 MX$24.55
-12.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$1.22 MX$22.78
1.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$4.92 MX$92.2
-19.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$10.32 MX$193
32.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.99 MX$37.34
-16.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$2.72 MX$50.9
-16.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$0.66 MX$12.34
77.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$29.85 MX$559
159.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$2.29 MX$42.96
-44.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$1.82 MX$34.14
12.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$12.18 MX$228
-29.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.51 MX$28.25
-10.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$24.4K MX$457.3K
39.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$24.7K MX$463.7K
40.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$63.2 MX$1,184
168.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$23.49 MX$440
-42.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$26.32 MX$493
6.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$34.44 MX$645
26.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$20.78 MX$389
-17.28%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$5.15 MX$96.4
34.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$235 MX$4,397
239.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$3,974 MX$74.5K
129.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$47.70 MX$894
77.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$45.11 MX$845
28.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$108 MX$2,028
24.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$101 MX$1,895
-3.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$578 MX$10.8K
108.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$436 MX$8,174
47.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,059 MX$19.8K
91.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$785 MX$14.7K
28.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$1,818 MX$34.1K
129.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$1,109 MX$20.8K
72.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Coatzacoalcos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Coatzacoalcos
$436 32% $205
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Coatzacoalcos
$250 15.7% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Coatzacoalcos
$113 46.5% $98
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Coatzacoalcos
$183 7.9% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Coatzacoalcos
$136 19.5% $33
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Coatzacoalcos
$44 53.1% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Coatzacoalcos
$45 22.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $578 in Coatzacoalcos. 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 $47 in Coatzacoalcos. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $250 in Coatzacoalcos – so Coatzacoalcos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇽 Coatzacoalcos
🕒 Local time
19:08 7:08 PM
18:08 6:08 PM
1 h behind Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
212,540
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Coatzacoalcos 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Coatzacoalcos

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 Coatzacoalcos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coatzacoalcos cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,811 in Coatzacoalcos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Coatzacoalcos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $578 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 61% less in Coatzacoalcos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Coatzacoalcos?
Groceries cost about 19% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Coatzacoalcos?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Coatzacoalcos, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Coatzacoalcos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Coatzacoalcos more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Coatzacoalcos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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