Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,241 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tulum

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,241 in Tulum, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Tulum $1,241

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,085 in Tulum, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Tulum $2,085

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,929 in Tulum, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Tulum $2,929

Medellin costs about 30% more than Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tulum is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$8.20 MX$152

-3.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$55.1 MX$1,018

-16.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.25 MX$152

15.15%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.82 MX$70.5

-18.59%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.12 MX$20.74

63.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.17 MX$21.59

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.94 MX$54.4

3.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.87 MX$71.5

42.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.54 MX$28.54

-5.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.05 MX$37.87

15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.71 MX$31.69

-1.75%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.92 MX$35.49

48.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$5.37 MX$99.2

89.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.53 MX$139

26.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.09 MX$168

54.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.63 MX$48.60

54.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.37 MX$25.35

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.51 MX$27.83

43.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.48 MX$27.32

56.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.23 MX$41.12

-13.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.76 MX$32.43

-6.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.49 MX$27.58

-24.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.85 MX$15.77

47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.49 MX$83.0

-11.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.24 MX$152

62.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.32 MX$24.39

28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.29 MX$23.76

83.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.40 MX$25.80

-13.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.79 MX$51.6

-52.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.48 MX$45.88

-13.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.57 MX$103

52.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.45 MX$26.84

-10.34%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.1K MX$389.5K

32.78%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$23.5K MX$434.7K

50.54%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$106 MX$1,967

61.63%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$16.36 MX$302

-18.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$34.32 MX$634

-16.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$34.91 MX$645

29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.71 MX$124

-6.41%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$265 MX$4,900

190.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,902 MX$53.6K

210.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$41.88 MX$774

106.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$32.57 MX$602

75.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$97.1 MX$1,794

40.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$58.0 MX$1,072

68.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$607 MX$11.2K

73.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$526 MX$9,714

17.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,498 MX$27.7K

26.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,273 MX$23.5K

-19.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,139 MX$58.0K

29.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,808 MX$33.4K

-7.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$790 MX$14.6K

-17.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.8

1.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Tulum

$526 42.4% 14.6% $90

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Tulum

$218 17.6% 25.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Tulum

$157 12.7% 26.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Tulum

$103 8.3% 39.3% $67

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Tulum

$168 13.5% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Tulum

$21 * 1.7% 77.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Tulum

$48 3.9% 16.4% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $607 in Tulum. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Tulum, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $55.0 in Tulum. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $218 in Tulum – so Tulum wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

46,721

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Tulum 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,862 in Tulum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulum, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $55.0 in Tulum. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% 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 Tulum, where all-in costs run around $1,241, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Tulum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tulum – 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 Tulum. 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.