Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tepic

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,221 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
Learn more

Tepic Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tepic

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,221 in Tepic, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tepic $1,221

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,884 in Tepic, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tepic $1,884

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,548 in Tepic, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tepic $2,548

Medellin costs about 34% more than Tepic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.22 MX$247

-38.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$43.16 MX$806

9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.03 MX$169

5.20%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.17 MX$59.2

-5.05%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.58 MX$29.49

13.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.14 MX$21.28

23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.70 MX$50.5

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.98 MX$93.1

15.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.55 MX$29.02

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.35 MX$43.97

1.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.57 MX$29.42

12.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.12 MX$39.62

36.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.91 MX$91.8

107.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.69 MX$181

1.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.54 MX$216

21.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.68 MX$50.0

48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.54 MX$28.77

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.94 MX$36.20

12.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.76 MX$32.93

23.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.06 MX$38.56

-4.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.84 MX$34.44

-13.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.56 MX$29.12

-26.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.04 MX$19.39

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.36 MX$81.5

-9.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.38 MX$194

31.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$0.78 MX$14.51

112.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$3.34 MX$62.5

-32.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.77 MX$14.42

51.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$30.37 MX$567

154.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.19 MX$40.99

-42.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.51 MX$28.22

35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$9.30 MX$174

-8.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.40 MX$26.24

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$21.2K MX$395.5K

60.96%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$23.7K MX$442.9K

46.29%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$43.90 MX$820

286.45%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$12.02 MX$225

12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$29.28 MX$547

-4.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.78 MX$594

37.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$17.42 MX$326

-1.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.92 MX$111

16.72%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$237 MX$4,426

236.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,948 MX$185.9K

-8.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$56.1 MX$1,049

50.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$40.24 MX$752

44.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$104 MX$1,944

29.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$78.6 MX$1,469

24.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$567 MX$10.6K

112.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$467 MX$8,727

37.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,115 MX$20.8K

81.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$766 MX$14.3K

32.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,934 MX$36.1K

115.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,128 MX$21.1K

69.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$652 MX$12.2K

0.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.53

-5.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tepic: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tepic

$467 38.3% 27.2% $175

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tepic

$251 20.5% 15.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tepic

$85 7% 59.7% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tepic

$205 16.8% 21% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tepic

$126 10.3% 25.7% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tepic

$43 3.5% 53.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tepic

$44 3.6% 24.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $567 in Tepic. 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 $43 in Tepic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $251 – making Tepic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Tepic

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

371,387

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tepic 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tepic

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 Tepic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,831 in Tepic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tepic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $43 in Tepic. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,221 in Tepic. That’s a gap of about 34%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,221 in Tepic, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Tepic is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 34% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.