Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Colima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $941 in Colima.

Medellin $1,639
Colima $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,533 in Colima.

Medellin $2,413
Colima $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,125 in Colima.

Medellin $3,186
Colima $2,125

Living in Medellin is roughly 74% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Colima is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.36 MX$138

9.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$32.08 MX$603

46.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.15 MX$134

32.87%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.09 MX$39.28

44.02%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.97 MX$18.27

85.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.83 MX$15.54

69.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.20 MX$41.30

44.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.48 MX$46.67

131.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.51 MX$28.36

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.54 MX$47.69

-6.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.14 MX$21.39

55.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.77 MX$52.1

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.19 MX$154

24.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.31 MX$156

18.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.69 MX$182

44.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.80 MX$52.7

41.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.35 MX$25.45

14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.69 MX$31.68

28.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.12 MX$39.83

2.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.29 MX$43.08

-14.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.27 MX$42.64

-29.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.47 MX$27.55

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.11 MX$20.91

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.73 MX$70.1

6.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.36 MX$119

115.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.49 MX$27.99

11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.73 MX$32.56

30.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.68 MX$12.71

72.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$19.57 MX$368

295.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.49 MX$46.79

-49.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.77 MX$52.0

-25.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.16 MX$172

-6.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.38 MX$25.98

-2.17%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.1K MX$416.3K

53.81%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.0K MX$412.8K

57.84%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$65.5 MX$1,230

159.17%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$19.85 MX$373

-31.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$28.60 MX$538

-1.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$34.63 MX$651

26.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$21.43 MX$403

-19.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.68 MX$88.0

47.65%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$141 MX$2,654

464.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,527 MX$47.5K

260.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$44.57 MX$838

90.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$24.99 MX$470

131.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$73.3 MX$1,378

84.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$98.0 MX$1,842

-0.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$257 MX$4,830

369.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$263 MX$4,936

144.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$369 MX$6,933

449.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$574 MX$10.8K

76.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$280 MX$5,266

134.52%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Colima

$263 27.9% 59.1% $379

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Colima

$245 26% 17.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Colima

$114 12.1% 46.1% $97

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Colima

$129 13.7% 24.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Colima

$108 11.5% 35.8% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Colima

$39 4.1% 58.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Colima

$44 4.7% 23.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $257 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $32 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $245 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

146,965

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Colima 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $941 in Colima, so Colima is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $257 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 75% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $141 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Colima 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 Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.