Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $927 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
Learn more

Mexicali Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mexicali

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $927 in Mexicali, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Mexicali $927

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,485 in Mexicali, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Mexicali $1,485

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,042 in Mexicali, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Mexicali $2,042

Medellin costs about 77% more than Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Mexicali is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.33 MX$231

-34.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$33.01 MX$619

42.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.49 MX$122

46.38%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.33 MX$62.3

-9.61%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.37 MX$25.75

31.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.07 MX$19.97

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.21 MX$60.2

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.03 MX$75.5

42.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.20 MX$22.41

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.32 MX$43.41

2.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.44 MX$26.92

22.92%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.67 MX$50.1

8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$2.40 MX$44.92

324.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.04 MX$113

63.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.60 MX$124

111.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.61 MX$30.11

146.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.31 MX$24.59

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.37 MX$25.63

59.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.57 MX$29.36

38.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.37 MX$25.70

43.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.38 MX$25.88

15.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.34 MX$25.09

-14.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.77 MX$14.47

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.01 MX$75.2

-1.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.99 MX$150

71.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.96 MX$36.77

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.99 MX$74.7

-43.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.02 MX$19.15

14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$34.66 MX$649

123.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.80 MX$52.4

-54.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.19 MX$41.11

-6.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$19.17 MX$359

-55.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.37 MX$25.72

-1.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.5K MX$459.9K

38.80%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.1K MX$432.9K

50.08%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$47.16 MX$884

259.73%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$21.80 MX$409

-37.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$28.74 MX$539

-2.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$39.07 MX$732

11.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$16.32 MX$306

5.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.99 MX$74.7

73.18%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$198 MX$3,715

301.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,438 MX$83.2K

105.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$33.30 MX$624

154.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$32.11 MX$602

80.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$75.5 MX$1,415

78.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$37.44 MX$702

161.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$967 MX$18.1K

24.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$265 MX$4,961

142.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,370 MX$25.7K

47.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$534 MX$10.0K

89.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,628 MX$49.2K

58.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,427 MX$26.7K

33.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$837 MX$15.7K

-21.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.07

-9.36%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mexicali

$265 28.5% 58.7% $377

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mexicali

$193 20.8% 34.9% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mexicali

$98 10.5% 53.8% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mexicali

$192 20.7% 13.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mexicali

$80 8.7% 52.5% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mexicali

$53 5.7% 43.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mexicali

$47 5.1% 18.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $967 in Mexicali. 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 27% higher in Mexicali, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $33 in Mexicali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $193 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

07:57 7:57 AM

3 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

854,186

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Mexicali 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,391 in Mexicali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexicali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $967 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $33 in Mexicali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $927 in Mexicali. That makes Mexicali about 43% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $927, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Mexicali is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.