Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,161 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cozumel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,161 in Cozumel.

Medellin $1,614
Cozumel $1,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,878 in Cozumel.

Medellin $2,402
Cozumel $1,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,596 in Cozumel.

Medellin $3,190
Cozumel $2,596

Living in Medellin is roughly 39% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cozumel is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$8.86 MX$164

-10.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$44.13 MX$815

4.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.14 MX$150

16.71%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.91 MX$53.8

6.87%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.14 MX$21.12

60.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.03 MX$19.08

33.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.61 MX$29.74

89.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.19 MX$58.9

72.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.49 MX$27.56

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.67 MX$30.85

41.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.71 MX$31.66

-1.75%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.88 MX$34.77

52.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.36 MX$191

-1.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.75 MX$143

22.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$12.68 MX$234

10.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.50 MX$46.12

62.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.39 MX$25.63

7.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.12 MX$39.24

2.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.56 MX$28.75

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.21 MX$40.90

-12.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.83 MX$33.88

-10.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.50 MX$27.67

-24.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.12 MX$20.71

11.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.54 MX$84.0

-12.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.93 MX$202

22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.44 MX$26.56

18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.62 MX$48.40

-9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.61 MX$11.28

98.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$66.1 MX$1,222

15.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.66 MX$49.14

-50.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.97 MX$54.8

-27.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$8.77 MX$162

-3.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.42 MX$26.33

-8.45%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$20.0K MX$369.0K

40.16%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$24.2K MX$447.6K

46.21%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$57.8 MX$1,068

197.73%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$20.48 MX$378

-34.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$22.11 MX$409

29.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$38.66 MX$714

17.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$20.45 MX$378

-16.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.90 MX$109

6.44%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$264 MX$4,886

191.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$3,581 MX$66.2K

151.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$55.5 MX$1,026

55.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$53.9 MX$996

6.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$102 MX$1,881

34.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$83.9 MX$1,549

16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$602 MX$11.1K

75.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$383 MX$7,069

60.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,608 MX$29.7K

17.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$770 MX$14.2K

32.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,896 MX$35.0K

114.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,154 MX$21.3K

45.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$656 MX$12.1K

-0.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.64

-6.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cozumel: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Cozumel

$383 33% 37.9% $233

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Cozumel

$255 22% 13.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Cozumel

$100 8.7% 53.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Cozumel

$133 11.4% 21.9% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Cozumel

$153 13.2% 8.9% $15

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Cozumel

$86 7.4% 7.8% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Cozumel

$50 4.4% 12.7% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $602 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cozumel pays 1% 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 $44.00 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $255 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

77,236

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Cozumel 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cozumel

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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Cozumel differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,161 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Cozumel. 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 $602 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,161 in Cozumel versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Cozumel are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.