Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Rosarito

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosarito: $1,173 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Rosarito
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Rosarito Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Rosarito

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Rosarito

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,173 in Rosarito, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Rosarito $1,173

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,900 in Rosarito, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Rosarito $1,900

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,628 in Rosarito, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Rosarito $2,628

Medellin costs about 36% more than Rosarito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Rosarito is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$12.41 MX$228

-35.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$34.87 MX$640

33.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$9.82 MX$180

-3.97%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$4.26 MX$78.2

-31.69%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.37 MX$25.20

27.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$1.24 MX$22.83

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$3.42 MX$62.7

-8.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$6.57 MX$121

-15.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.80 MX$33.03

-21.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$3.01 MX$55.3

-18.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.76 MX$32.27

-7.39%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$3.31 MX$60.7

-14.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$8.34 MX$153

16.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$7.32 MX$134

27.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$11.88 MX$218

13.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.86 MX$52.5

39.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.68 MX$30.79

-11.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.91 MX$35.02

10.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$1.65 MX$30.30

36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.58 MX$28.93

20.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.91 MX$35.07

-15.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.47 MX$27.08

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.07 MX$19.73

17.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$4.37 MX$80.2

-12.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$8.20 MX$151

59.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$2.30 MX$42.15

-30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$4.11 MX$75.5

-45.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.66 MX$12.11

77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$3.00 MX$55.2

-57.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$2.28 MX$41.84

-10.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$11.05 MX$203

-25.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.31 MX$24.12

-3.05%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$21.2K MX$389.6K

26.19%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$24.4K MX$448.8K

40.74%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$48.34 MX$887

235.56%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$34.02 MX$625

-61.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$29.93 MX$550

-6.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$35.33 MX$649

25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$20.08 MX$369

-18.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$6.88 MX$126

-11.48%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$210 MX$3,849

264.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$4,684 MX$86.0K

90.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$54.5 MX$1,000

55.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$46.77 MX$859

22.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$104 MX$1,901

27.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$69.5 MX$1,277

37.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$624 MX$11.5K

64.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$396 MX$7,274

52.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,036 MX$19.0K

73.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$776 MX$14.2K

27.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$1,894 MX$34.8K

107.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,146 MX$21.0K

43.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

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 6, 2026

Last update for Rosarito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Rosarito

$396 33.4% 34.5% $208

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Rosarito

$269 22.7% 6.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Rosarito

$112 9.5% 44.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Rosarito

$123 10.4% 25.8% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Rosarito

$220 18.6% 32.6% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Rosarito

$17 * 1.4% 81.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Rosarito

$49 4.1% 13.1% $7.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $624 in Rosarito. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $35.00 in Rosarito. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $269 – making Rosarito the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Rosarito

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

00:35 12:35 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

100,660

💱 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 = 3,574 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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Rosarito 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Rosarito

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 Rosarito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,759 in Rosarito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rosarito, 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 $35.00 in Rosarito. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rosarito, where all-in costs run around $1,173, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Rosarito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rosarito – 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 Rosarito. 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.