Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,334 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Merida

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,334 in Merida, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Merida $1,334

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $2,174 in Merida, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Merida $2,174

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $3,014 in Merida, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Merida $3,014

Medellin costs about 19% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Merida sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Merida by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$13.90 MX$255

-42.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$55.7 MX$1,022

-16.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$8.11 MX$149

16.28%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.97 MX$73.0

-26.70%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.14 MX$21.00

53.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$1.18 MX$21.67

11.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$3.07 MX$56.4

1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.87 MX$71.1

43.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.60 MX$29.30

-11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$2.64 MX$48.41

-7.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.73 MX$31.83

-5.78%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$1.97 MX$36.18

43.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$10.31 MX$189

-6.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$7.70 MX$141

21.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$12.54 MX$230

7.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.77 MX$50.9

44.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.41 MX$25.89

4.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.14 MX$39.21

-0.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$2.08 MX$38.10

8.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$2.36 MX$43.25

-19.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.83 MX$33.53

-11.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.43 MX$26.27

-19.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.13 MX$20.80

11.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$4.44 MX$81.4

-13.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$10.90 MX$200

20.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.47 MX$27.06

8.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.51 MX$46.08

-9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.67 MX$12.36

74.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$19.76 MX$363

279.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$2.73 MX$50.1

-53.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$3.76 MX$69.1

-45.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$8.82 MX$162

-7.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.58 MX$29.04

-19.62%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$21.5K MX$393.9K

24.80%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$24.4K MX$447.1K

41.29%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$113 MX$2,076

43.49%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$21.35 MX$392

-38.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$35.42 MX$650

-20.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$30.12 MX$553

47.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$11.83 MX$217

38.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$7.57 MX$139

-19.55%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$266 MX$4,880

187.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$3,584 MX$65.8K

148.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$55.6 MX$1,020

52.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$54.2 MX$995

6.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$102 MX$1,869

29.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$87.2 MX$1,602

9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$634 MX$11.6K

62.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$468 MX$8,585

29.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,243 MX$22.8K

44.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$967 MX$17.8K

2.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$2,252 MX$41.4K

74.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,234 MX$22.7K

32.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$604 MX$11.1K

3.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.64

-6.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Merida

$468 34.7% 22.6% $137

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Merida

$270 20% 6.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Merida

$170 12.6% 16.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Merida

$134 10% 19.2% $32

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Merida

$216 16% 29.6% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Merida

$44 3.3% 51.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Merida

$45 3.4% 19.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $634 in Merida. 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 4% 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 $56.0 in Merida. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Medellin vs $270 in Merida – so Merida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Merida

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

03:41 3:41 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

975,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Merida 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $2,001 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, 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 $56.0 in Merida. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $1,334 in Merida. That's a gap of about 19%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Merida. 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.