Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zacatecas

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $738 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Zacatecas $738

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,170 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Zacatecas $1,170

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,602 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Zacatecas $1,602

Medellin costs about 119% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Zacatecas is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$6.12 MX$113

29.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$31.70 MX$586

45.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.50 MX$139

26.67%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.96 MX$54.7

5.07%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.21 MX$22.31

51.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.72 MX$13.31

91.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.86 MX$34.45

63.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.08 MX$75.4

34.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.37 MX$25.41

5.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.21 MX$40.91

6.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.54 MX$28.52

9.09%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.29 MX$42.31

24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$7.32 MX$135

39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.12 MX$113

55.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.25 MX$171

51.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.75 MX$32.31

132.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.66 MX$30.63

-9.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.02 MX$37.30

7.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.46 MX$27.05

58.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.00 MX$36.98

-3.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.76 MX$32.50

-6.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.52 MX$28.04

-25.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.84 MX$15.60

48.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.29 MX$79.4

-6.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.67 MX$197

25.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.67 MX$30.90

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.38 MX$62.5

-29.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.53 MX$9.88

128.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$16.52 MX$305

363.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.21 MX$40.77

-40.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.08 MX$19.91

98.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$12.28 MX$227

-31.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.45 MX$26.79

-10.34%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.1K MX$390.6K

32.43%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$24.5K MX$452.6K

44.60%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$23.16 MX$428

643.05%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$8.38 MX$155

59.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$25.17 MX$465

14.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$25.02 MX$462

80.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$8.17 MX$151

108.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$4.39 MX$81.1

43.05%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$256 MX$4,736

200.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$3,234 MX$59.8K

178.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$45.26 MX$836

90.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$40.19 MX$743

42.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$91.6 MX$1,692

49.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$43.08 MX$796

127.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$242 MX$4,467

336.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$162 MX$2,994

280.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$383 MX$7,074

394.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$249 MX$4,606

310.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$571 MX$10.5K

194.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$407 MX$7,527

60.15%

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 Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Zacatecas

$162 22% 73.7% $454

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Zacatecas

$228 30.9% 22.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Zacatecas

$57 7.7% 73.5% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Zacatecas

$99 13.4% 41.8% $71

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Zacatecas

$132 17.9% 21.5% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Zacatecas

$26 3.6% 71.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Zacatecas

$34 4.6% 41.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $242 in Zacatecas. 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 60% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $32.00 in Zacatecas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $228 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

138,444

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Zacatecas 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zacatecas

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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,107 in Zacatecas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zacatecas, 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 $32.00 in Zacatecas. 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 $738 in Zacatecas. That's a gap of about 119%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zacatecas. 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.