Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sayulita

For one person, living is cheaper in Sayulita: $1,135 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sayulita
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Sayulita Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Sayulita

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sayulita

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,135 in Sayulita, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Sayulita $1,135

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,806 in Sayulita, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Sayulita $1,806

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,476 in Sayulita, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Sayulita $2,476

Medellin costs about 49% more than Sayulita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Sayulita is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$10.37 MX$192

-19.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$39.43 MX$732

18.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$8.13 MX$151

16.48%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.26 MX$60.4

-3.99%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$1.29 MX$23.91

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$0.91 MX$16.98

56.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$2.15 MX$39.91

46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$3.99 MX$74.1

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.43 MX$26.57

6.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$2.63 MX$48.90

-12.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$1.63 MX$30.27

19.02%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$2.34 MX$43.40

31.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$8.23 MX$153

21.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$7.96 MX$148

31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$10.64 MX$197

31.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$2.61 MX$48.51

55.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$1.40 MX$25.92

9.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$1.78 MX$33.03

17.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$1.69 MX$31.43

35.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$1.85 MX$34.36

14.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$1.94 MX$35.95

-11.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$1.22 MX$22.62

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$0.98 MX$18.12

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.17 MX$77.3

-6.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$10.93 MX$203

28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$1.61 MX$29.81

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$2.87 MX$53.3

-5.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$0.66 MX$12.20

78.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

$30.75 MX$571

148.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$2.66 MX$49.34

-31.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$1.61 MX$29.84

32.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$8.08 MX$150

0.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.27 MX$23.49

0.79%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$21.0K MX$390.2K

63.80%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$22.0K MX$409.2K

54.82%

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$56.7 MX$1,052

213.46%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$22.35 MX$415

-37.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$28.37 MX$527

8.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$36.51 MX$678

14.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

$16.17 MX$300

3.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$4.53 MX$84.0

64.90%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$207 MX$3,851

280.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$3,622 MX$67.2K

239.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$52.6 MX$976

64.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$38.96 MX$723

52.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$92.1 MX$1,710

50.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$78.6 MX$1,459

25.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$513 MX$9,524

161.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

$395 MX$7,326

69.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$942 MX$17.5K

109.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$762 MX$14.1K

35.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,781 MX$33.0K

130.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

$1,154 MX$21.4K

68.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.48

-4.70%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Sayulita

$395 34.8% 40.8% $272

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Sayulita

$252 22.2% 18.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Sayulita

$107 9.5% 51.7% $115

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Sayulita

$174 15.3% 0.8% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Sayulita

$118 10.4% 31.5% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sayulita

$44 3.9% 52.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Sayulita

$46 4% 19.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $513 in Sayulita. 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 $39 in Sayulita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $252 – making Sayulita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Sayulita

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

10:01 10:01 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Sayulita 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sayulita

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 Sayulita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,703 in Sayulita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sayulita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $513 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $39 in Sayulita. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,135 in Sayulita. That makes Sayulita about 33% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,135 in Sayulita, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Sayulita is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.