Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Los Mochis

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Mochis: $1,101 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Los Mochis
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Los Mochis Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Los Mochis

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Los Mochis

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,101 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Los Mochis $1,101

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,746 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Los Mochis $1,746

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,390 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Los Mochis $2,390

Medellin costs about 48% more than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Los Mochis is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$6.97 MX$129

19.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$32.63 MX$603

43.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$10.66 MX$197

-13.32%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.18 MX$58.8

-4.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.03 MX$19.02

74.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.98 MX$18.16

40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.47 MX$45.63

31.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.25 MX$60.0

71.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.55 MX$28.60

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.61 MX$48.24

-9.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.56 MX$28.81

8.97%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.70 MX$49.96

9.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.46 MX$156

20.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$8.36 MX$154

16.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$13.01 MX$240

6.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.97 MX$54.9

39.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.54 MX$28.41

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.13 MX$39.27

4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.83 MX$33.79

24.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.78 MX$32.87

11.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.58 MX$29.14

5.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.25 MX$23.03

-5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.96 MX$17.71

29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.70 MX$68.5

4.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.81 MX$163

56.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.74 MX$32.24

-4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.06 MX$56.6

-21.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.62 MX$11.46

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.52 MX$46.59

-49.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.90 MX$35.13

13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$10.62 MX$196

-21.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.46 MX$27.01

-7.53%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$23.4K MX$432.6K

48.50%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$23.9K MX$441.1K

45.30%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$62.4 MX$1,152

167.24%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$22.77 MX$421

-40.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$29.38 MX$543

-0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$33.78 MX$624

33.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$20.16 MX$372

-14.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.13 MX$94.7

35.87%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$215 MX$3,981

266.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$4,519 MX$83.5K

100.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$55.3 MX$1,022

58.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$41.08 MX$759

41.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$100 MX$1,855

38.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$88.2 MX$1,629

12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$611 MX$11.3K

68.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$383 MX$7,070

61.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,011 MX$18.7K

85.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$755 MX$13.9K

33.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,154 MX$39.8K

85.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$994 MX$18.4K

71.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$644 MX$11.9K

3.04%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Los Mochis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Los Mochis

$383 34.8% 38.2% $237

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Los Mochis

$264 24% 11.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Los Mochis

$115 10.4% 45.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Los Mochis

$128 11.7% 25.8% $45

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Los Mochis

$153 13.9% 10.6% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Los Mochis

$15 * 1.3% 84.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Los Mochis

$44 4% 25.4% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $611 in Los Mochis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $33.00 in Los Mochis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $264 – making Los Mochis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Los Mochis

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

298,009

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Los Mochis 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Los Mochis

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 Los Mochis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 48% more than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,651 in Los Mochis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Mochis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $33.00 in Los Mochis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Mochis, where all-in costs run around $1,101, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Los Mochis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Mochis costs $1,101 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Los Mochis. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.