Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cuernavaca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,208 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cuernavaca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,208 in Cuernavaca.

Medellin $1,639
Cuernavaca $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,788 in Cuernavaca.

Medellin $2,413
Cuernavaca $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,368 in Cuernavaca.

Medellin $3,186
Cuernavaca $2,368

Living in Medellin is roughly 36% more expensive than in Cuernavaca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cuernavaca is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.98 MX$149

1.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$37.14 MX$696

26.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.83 MX$128

39.09%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.48 MX$46.41

21.37%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.31 MX$24.52

37.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.61 MX$11.45

131.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.44 MX$45.65

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.27 MX$61.3

75.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.62 MX$30.40

-6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.21 MX$41.41

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.42 MX$26.58

24.65%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.89 MX$35.33

52.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.76 MX$145

31.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.82 MX$90.2

104.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$13.55 MX$254

3.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.21 MX$41.38

79.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.32 MX$24.80

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.22 MX$41.57

-1.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.66 MX$31.04

31.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.76 MX$33.03

11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.71 MX$32.03

-7.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.49 MX$27.97

-22.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.83 MX$15.55

49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.23 MX$79.3

-6.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.03 MX$150

70.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.21 MX$22.69

37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.30 MX$61.8

-31.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.71 MX$13.35

64.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$34.93 MX$655

121.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.91 MX$35.72

-33.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.49 MX$46.74

-17.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.64 MX$199

-19.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.33 MX$25.01

1.50%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.5K MX$458.2K

39.31%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.4K MX$437.8K

48.41%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$56.4 MX$1,057

200.90%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$18.52 MX$347

-26.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$24.73 MX$463

13.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$29.09 MX$545

50.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.24 MX$98.1

31.87%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$218 MX$4,083

265.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,055 MX$94.7K

80.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$40.44 MX$758

109.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$32.23 MX$604

79.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$92.5 MX$1,733

45.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$97.7 MX$1,831

0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$619 MX$11.6K

94.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$529 MX$9,910

21.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$901 MX$16.9K

125.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$803 MX$15.1K

25.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$851 MX$15.9K

390.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$594 MX$11.1K

221.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$638 MX$11.9K

3.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.4

-4.04%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8% 17.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cuernavaca

$229 19% 22.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3% 52.8% $112

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6% 17.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8% 30% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3% 44.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3% 31.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $619 in Cuernavaca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $37 in Cuernavaca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $229 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

341,029

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cuernavaca 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuernavaca is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Medellin, 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 $619 in Cuernavaca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuernavaca – a meal for two runs $37 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca 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 Cuernavaca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.