Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tapachula

For one person, living is cheaper in Tapachula: $1,164 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Tapachula
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Tapachula Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Tapachula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tapachula

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,164 in Tapachula, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Tapachula $1,164

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,828 in Tapachula, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Tapachula $1,828

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,493 in Tapachula, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Tapachula $2,493

Medellin costs about 40% more than Tapachula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tapachula is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$10.44 MX$193

-20.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$40.58 MX$750

15.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.90 MX$146

16.96%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.71 MX$68.6

-17.79%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.27 MX$23.45

41.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.16 MX$21.35

18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.41 MX$44.58

34.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.75 MX$69.3

48.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.56 MX$28.77

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.65 MX$49.05

-10.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.62 MX$29.96

4.94%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.43 MX$44.94

21.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.09 MX$149

26.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$8.32 MX$154

17.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.49 MX$212

20.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.31 MX$42.72

78.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.58 MX$29.23

-3.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.08 MX$38.50

6.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.83 MX$33.81

24.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.89 MX$34.94

5.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.81 MX$33.37

-7.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.62 MX$29.91

-27.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.09 MX$20.12

13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.27 MX$79.0

-9.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.18 MX$170

50.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.71 MX$31.66

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.05 MX$56.4

-21.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.61 MX$11.19

103.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.66 MX$49.11

-51.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.70 MX$31.45

26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$9.99 MX$185

-16.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.34 MX$24.73

0.75%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$25.3K MX$467.0K

37.55%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$23.0K MX$424.7K

50.92%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$54.4 MX$1,006

206.12%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$23.70 MX$438

-42.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$26.93 MX$498

8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$37.17 MX$687

21.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$18.73 MX$346

-8.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.01 MX$92.6

39.12%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$245 MX$4,528

222.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$4,825 MX$89.2K

87.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$57.4 MX$1,060

52.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$41.06 MX$759

41.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$98.5 MX$1,820

41.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$91.8 MX$1,696

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$673 MX$12.4K

52.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$428 MX$7,904

44.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,080 MX$20.0K

74.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$770 MX$14.2K

30.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,952 MX$36.1K

104.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,087 MX$20.1K

56.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.3

-3.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tapachula: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Tapachula

$428 36.8% 31% $192

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Tapachula

$259 22.3% 13.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Tapachula

$105 9% 49.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Tapachula

$130 11.2% 24.8% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Tapachula

$181 15.6% 6% $10

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Tapachula

$14 * 1.2% 85.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Tapachula

$47 4.1% 20% $12

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 $673 in Tapachula. 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 $41.00 in Tapachula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $259 – making Tapachula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Tapachula

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

217,550

💱 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 Tapachula 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tapachula

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 Tapachula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,745 in Tapachula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tapachula, 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 $41.00 in Tapachula. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tapachula, where all-in costs run around $1,164, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Tapachula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tapachula – 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 Tapachula. 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.