Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Medellin costs about 35% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$10.86 MX$201

-23.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$44.21 MX$817

6.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$11.76 MX$217

-21.43%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.68 MX$68.0

-17.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.34 MX$24.79

34.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.82 MX$15.24

68.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.06 MX$56.6

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.94 MX$91.2

12.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.47 MX$27.17

2.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.22 MX$40.95

6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.48 MX$27.32

14.86%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.49 MX$45.99

18.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$7.52 MX$139

35.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$7.96 MX$147

22.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$12.57 MX$232

10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.78 MX$51.3

48.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.43 MX$26.37

6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.62 MX$48.37

-15.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.14 MX$39.49

6.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.02 MX$37.38

-1.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.99 MX$36.74

-16.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.14 MX$21.01

3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.20 MX$22.18

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.26 MX$78.7

-9.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.02 MX$185

37.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.54 MX$28.41

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.66 MX$49.17

-9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.53 MX$9.73

133.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$27.51 MX$508

184.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.90 MX$90.6

-73.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$3.43 MX$63.5

-37.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$5.38 MX$99.4

55.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.45 MX$26.76

-6.90%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

64.30%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

50.69%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$85.4 MX$1,577

95.23%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$23.46 MX$434

-41.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$28.43 MX$525

2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-27.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$28.68 MX$530

-40.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.10 MX$94.3

36.67%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$201 MX$3,715

292.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

129.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$44.39 MX$820

97.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$41.35 MX$764

40.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.7 MX$1,344

91.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$89.6 MX$1,656

10.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$979 MX$18.1K

4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$373 MX$6,887

66.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

11.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-8.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,949 MX$73.0K

0.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-72.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$738 MX$13.6K

-10.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.45

-4.45%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 39.8% $247

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 13.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 34.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.4% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 17.2% $29

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 45.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 22.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 11% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

149,923

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Playa del Carmen 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 35%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. 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.