Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Isla Mujeres

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,135 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Isla Mujeres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,135 in Isla Mujeres.

Medellin $1,692
Isla Mujeres $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,803 in Isla Mujeres.

Medellin $2,471
Isla Mujeres $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,471 in Isla Mujeres.

Medellin $3,249
Isla Mujeres $2,471

Living in Medellin is roughly 49% more expensive than in Isla Mujeres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Isla Mujeres is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.61 MX$198

-21.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$39.45 MX$738

17.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.91 MX$148

19.72%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.28 MX$61.3

-4.57%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$1.29 MX$24.21

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$0.89 MX$16.70

59.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.27 MX$42.41

38.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.93 MX$73.4

45.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.44 MX$27.00

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$2.51 MX$46.93

-8.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$1.55 MX$29.05

25.16%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$2.38 MX$44.52

28.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.95 MX$149

25.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.06 MX$151

29.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$10.66 MX$199

30.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.61 MX$48.87

55.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$1.38 MX$25.83

10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$1.80 MX$33.69

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$1.72 MX$32.10

33.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$1.84 MX$34.38

14.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$1.92 MX$35.89

-10.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$1.26 MX$23.64

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$1.01 MX$18.96

56.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.20 MX$78.6

-6.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$10.95 MX$205

28.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$1.61 MX$30.08

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$2.72 MX$50.9

-0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$0.66 MX$12.26

78.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$30.36 MX$568

151.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$2.62 MX$48.96

-30.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$1.61 MX$30.15

32.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$8.12 MX$152

0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$1.27 MX$23.66

0.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$20.8K MX$388.4K

65.85%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$22.4K MX$419.4K

52.22%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$57.0 MX$1,066

211.75%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$22.37 MX$418

-37.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$28.07 MX$525

9.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$36.42 MX$681

15.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$15.86 MX$297

5.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.66 MX$87.2

60.30%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$207 MX$3,880

280.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$3,591 MX$67.2K

242.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$53.9 MX$1,009

60.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$40.34 MX$755

46.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$88.9 MX$1,662

55.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$78.0 MX$1,459

26.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$504 MX$9,435

165.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$394 MX$7,366

69.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$931 MX$17.4K

112.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$757 MX$14.2K

36.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,761 MX$32.9K

132.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,172 MX$21.9K

65.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.48

-4.70%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Isla Mujeres: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Isla Mujeres

$394 34.7% 41% $273

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Isla Mujeres

$250 22.1% 18.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Isla Mujeres

$107 9.5% 51.7% $115

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Isla Mujeres

$176 15.5% 1.9% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Isla Mujeres

$118 10.4% 31.8% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Isla Mujeres

$44 3.9% 53.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Isla Mujeres

$46 4% 19.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $504 in Isla Mujeres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $39 in Isla Mujeres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $250 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,174

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Isla Mujeres 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Isla Mujeres

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 Isla Mujeres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,135 in Isla Mujeres, so Isla Mujeres is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,702 in Isla Mujeres to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $504 in Isla Mujeres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $207 in Isla Mujeres. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Isla Mujeres gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Isla Mujeres is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.