Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,392 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mazatlan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,392 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Mazatlan $1,392

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,002 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Mazatlan $2,002

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,612 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Mazatlan $2,612

Medellin costs about 18% more than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Mazatlan sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Mazatlan by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.56 MX$198

-23.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$45.04 MX$846

4.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.26 MX$155

15.01%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.34 MX$62.8

-9.88%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.41 MX$26.57

27.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.07 MX$20.07

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.98 MX$37.21

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.63 MX$49.36

118.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.61 MX$30.25

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.49 MX$46.87

-4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.34 MX$25.26

32.09%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.65 MX$49.87

9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.85 MX$147

29.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.78 MX$127

45.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.75 MX$146

80.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.66 MX$50.0

49.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.58 MX$29.76

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.60 MX$29.98

36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.46 MX$8.65

373.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.64 MX$30.88

19.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.30 MX$24.49

22.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.48 MX$27.84

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.94 MX$74.1

0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$15.55 MX$292

-12.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.05 MX$38.62

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.13 MX$58.8

-27.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.73 MX$13.65

60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$39.65 MX$745

95.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.46 MX$65.0

-63.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.38 MX$44.82

-13.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.46 MX$27.50

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.1K MX$397.0K

61.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$24.0K MX$450.2K

44.74%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$57.5 MX$1,081

195.09%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$45.40 MX$853

-70.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$41.54 MX$781

-32.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$42.74 MX$803

2.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.44 MX$83.4

55.63%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$87.0 MX$1,636

815.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,967 MX$37.0K

363.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$61.7 MX$1,160

37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$26.92 MX$506

115.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$109 MX$2,050

23.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$81.9 MX$1,539

19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$802 MX$15.1K

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$607 MX$11.4K

5.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,247 MX$23.4K

62.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$826 MX$15.5K

22.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,520 MX$28.6K

174.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,028 MX$19.3K

85.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$520 MX$9,782

26.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.6

-5.69%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mazatlan

$607 43.6% 5.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mazatlan

$230 * 16.6% 22.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mazatlan

$144 10.4% 31.6% $67

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mazatlan

$174 12.5% 2.8% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mazatlan

$126 9% 25.5% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mazatlan

$58 4.2% 38.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mazatlan

$52 3.7% 10.3% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $802 in Mazatlan. 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 26% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $45 in Mazatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $230 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

441,975

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mazatlan 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mazatlan

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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,392 in Mazatlan – Mazatlan comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,088 in Mazatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mazatlan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $87 in Mazatlan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,392 in Mazatlan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mazatlan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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