Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Veracruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Veracruz: $1,035 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Veracruz
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Veracruz Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Veracruz

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Veracruz

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,035 in Veracruz, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Veracruz $1,035

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,641 in Veracruz, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Veracruz $1,641

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,246 in Veracruz, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Veracruz $2,246

Medellin costs about 56% more than Veracruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Veracruz is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$9.46 MX$175

-16.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$43.45 MX$803

6.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.16 MX$151

16.42%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.80 MX$51.8

11.07%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.45 MX$26.71

26.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.79 MX$14.54

74.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.13 MX$39.42

43.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.82 MX$70.6

43.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.54 MX$28.42

-5.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.45 MX$45.25

-3.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.78 MX$32.90

-5.62%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.19 MX$40.53

30.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.98 MX$92.0

104.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.75 MX$106

65.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.40 MX$174

49.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.62 MX$48.47

55.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.32 MX$24.35

13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.96 MX$36.29

10.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.59 MX$29.43

45.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.34 MX$24.79

44.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.03 MX$37.60

-19.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.17 MX$21.67

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.01 MX$18.62

23.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.35 MX$80.4

-8.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.98 MX$148

67.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.42 MX$26.19

19.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.68 MX$49.45

-11.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.51 MX$9.42

137.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$29.70 MX$549

157.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.44 MX$45.10

-45.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.62 MX$29.96

32.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$6.72 MX$124

26.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.41 MX$26.08

-7.80%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.4K MX$394.8K

31.01%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$23.9K MX$441.6K

48.18%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$60.8 MX$1,123

183.18%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$18.51 MX$342

-27.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$23.58 MX$436

21.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$29.98 MX$554

50.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$10.47 MX$194

62.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$4.98 MX$92.0

26.10%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$162 MX$2,985

376.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$3,300 MX$61.0K

173.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$57.9 MX$1,071

49.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$31.20 MX$577

83.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$101 MX$1,863

35.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$77.4 MX$1,430

26.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$404 MX$7,470

161.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$351 MX$6,489

75.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$610 MX$11.3K

210.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$638 MX$11.8K

60.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$680 MX$12.6K

497.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$560 MX$10.3K

199.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$832 MX$15.4K

-21.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.96

-0.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Veracruz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Veracruz

$351 33.9% 43% $265

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Veracruz

$218 21% 26.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Veracruz

$103 9.9% 52% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Veracruz

$120 11.6% 29.3% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Veracruz

$161 15.6% 4.4% $7.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Veracruz

$42 4.1% 54.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Veracruz

$40 3.9% 30.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $404 in Veracruz. 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 28% higher in Veracruz, 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 $43.00 in Veracruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $218 – making Veracruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Veracruz

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

405,952

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Medellin Veracruz 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Veracruz

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 Veracruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 56%, 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 $1,553 in Veracruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veracruz, 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 $43.00 in Veracruz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,035 in Veracruz. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Veracruz, where all-in costs run around $1,035, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Veracruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Veracruz – 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 Veracruz. 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.