Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mayaguez

For one person, living is cheaper in Mayaguez: $1,294 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Mayaguez
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Mayaguez Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mayaguez

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mayaguez

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,294 in Mayaguez.

Medellin $1,639
Mayaguez $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,001 in Mayaguez.

Medellin $2,413
Mayaguez $2,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,709 in Mayaguez.

Medellin $3,186
Mayaguez $2,709

Living in Medellin is roughly 27% more expensive than in Mayaguez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Mayaguez is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.98 $12.98

-37.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$68.5 $68.5

-31.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.18 $9.18

3.49%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.51 $3.51

-14.25%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.24 $1.24

45.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.08 $1.08

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.05 $3.05

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.27 $4.27

34.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.19 $2.19

-31.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.58 $3.58

-33.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.34 $2.34

-24.36%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$7.46 $7.46

-61.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.64 $12.64

-19.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$9.47 $9.47

4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$13.38 $13.38

4.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.92 $4.92

-19.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.67 $2.67

-41.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$4.83 $4.83

-54.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.74 $4.74

-54.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$3.68 $3.68

-46.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$4.03 $4.03

-60.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$3.52 $3.52

-67.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.64 $1.64

-24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$12.03 $12.03

-67.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$15.79 $15.79

-13.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.97 $2.97

-44.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$4.06 $4.06

-44.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.57 $2.57

-50.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.54 $1.54

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$42.63 $42.63

-79.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.96 $0.96

40.63%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$34.1K $34.1K

-0.13%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$27.4K $27.4K

26.66%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$323 $323

-47.41%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$68.6 $68.6

-80.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$69.5 $69.5

-59.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$27.80 $27.80

57.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.48 $10.48

-34.06%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$837 $837

-4.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.7K $12.7K

-28.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$56.1 $56.1

50.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$61.0 $61.0

-5.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$111 $111

22.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$116 $116

-15.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mayaguez: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mayaguez

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mayaguez

$413 31.9% 39.2% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mayaguez

$461 35.6% 118% $249

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mayaguez

$207 16% 21.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mayaguez

$155 11.9% 8.6% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mayaguez

$10 * 0.8% 89% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mayaguez

$49 3.8% 15.2% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $68 in Mayaguez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $413 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Mayaguez

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

57,566

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mayaguez 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mayaguez

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 Mayaguez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mayaguez is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,941 in Mayaguez 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.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $837 in Mayaguez. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $68 in Mayaguez. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Mayaguez versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mayaguez but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mayaguez 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.