Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Andres Tuxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in San Andres Tuxtla: $1,230 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
San Andres Tuxtla, Mexico
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
San Andres Tuxtla
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,230
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Andres Tuxtla

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 San Andres Tuxtla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,230 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • San Andres Tuxtla $1,230

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,871 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • San Andres Tuxtla $1,871

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,513 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • San Andres Tuxtla $2,513

Medellin costs about 33% more than San Andres Tuxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Andres Tuxtla is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$9.72 MX$182
-16.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$46.39 MX$869
1.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$8.66 MX$162
9.70%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$3.21 MX$60.2
-6.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.56 MX$29.17
15.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$1.17 MX$21.90
20.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$2.74 MX$51.3
16.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$3.62 MX$67.9
58.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.78 MX$33.34
-15.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$2.64 MX$49.50
-9.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$1.55 MX$29.00
14.19%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.52 MX$47.27
14.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$9.17 MX$172
11.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$9.18 MX$172
7.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$9.92 MX$186
41.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.65 MX$49.58
49.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$1.53 MX$28.75
1.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$1.77 MX$33.10
23.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$1.70 MX$31.84
28.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$1.83 MX$34.23
7.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$1.75 MX$32.70
-9.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$1.40 MX$26.30
-17.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$1.04 MX$19.47
19.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$4.80 MX$89.9
-17.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$11.01 MX$206
24.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.74 MX$32.59
-4.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$3.27 MX$61.3
-30.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$0.68 MX$12.69
72.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$30.48 MX$571
153.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$2.83 MX$53.1
-55.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$2.23 MX$41.74
-8.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$12.20 MX$229
-29.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.60 MX$29.96
-15.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$22.5K MX$421.6K
51.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$24.1K MX$452.5K
43.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$61.5 MX$1,152
175.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$19.76 MX$370
-31.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$28.52 MX$534
-1.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$32.08 MX$601
36.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$18.53 MX$347
-7.23%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$4.91 MX$92.1
40.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$201 MX$3,772
295.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$4,498 MX$84.3K
102.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$48.43 MX$908
74.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$45.77 MX$858
26.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$90.0 MX$1,686
49.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$92.4 MX$1,731
5.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$512 MX$9,602
135.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$466 MX$8,741
37.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,148 MX$21.5K
76.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$720 MX$13.5K
40.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$2,000 MX$37.5K
108.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$1,091 MX$20.5K
75.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
San Andres Tuxtla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
11.31
-3.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Andres Tuxtla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
San Andres Tuxtla
$466 27.3% $175
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
San Andres Tuxtla
$266 10.4% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
San Andres Tuxtla
$110 48% $102
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
San Andres Tuxtla
$174 2.7% $4.5
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
San Andres Tuxtla
$124 26.4% $45
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
San Andres Tuxtla
$47 49.6% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
San Andres Tuxtla
$42 27.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $512 in San Andres Tuxtla. 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 in Medellin versus $46 in San Andres Tuxtla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $266 – making San Andres Tuxtla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇽 San Andres Tuxtla
🕒 Local time
20:57 8:57 PM
19:57 7:57 PM
1 h behind Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
61,719
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin San Andres Tuxtla 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • San Andres Tuxtla

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 San Andres Tuxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Andres Tuxtla cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,845 in San Andres Tuxtla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Andres Tuxtla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $512 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 61% less in San Andres Tuxtla. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in San Andres Tuxtla?
Groceries cost about 12% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in San Andres Tuxtla?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Andres Tuxtla, where all-in costs run around $1,230, than in Medellin at $1,639. In San Andres Tuxtla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or San Andres Tuxtla more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward San Andres Tuxtla – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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