Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,336 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,336

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merida and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Merida and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,336 per month in Merida vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Merida $1,336
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,145 per month in Merida vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Merida $2,145
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,955 per month in Merida vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Merida $2,955
Medellin $3,190

Merida is about 17% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Merida sits 1% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.74 MX$254

$7.93 COP 25.2K

73.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 MX$1,010

$46.13 COP 146.3K

18.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 MX$148

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-15.68%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$3.11 COP 9,866

24.12%

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

$1.13 MX$20.90

$1.83 COP 5,800

-38.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.60

$1.38 COP 4,360

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MX$55.0

$3.05 COP 9,672

-2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 MX$70.9

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-30.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.24

$1.45 COP 4,600

13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.02

$2.36 COP 7,496

12.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.32

$1.68 COP 5,328

7.14%

Eggs

$1.95 MX$36.08

$2.86 COP 9,077

-31.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 MX$192

$10.19 COP 32.3K

2.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 MX$140

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-20.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.34 MX$228

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-12.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$52.2

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-30.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.68

$1.50 COP 4,742

-7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.03

$2.17 COP 6,891

-2.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.31 COP 7,310

-10.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.70

$1.93 COP 6,113

13.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.98

$1.64 COP 5,196

12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.41

$1.13 COP 3,571

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.77

$1.25 COP 3,954

-5.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$82.6

$3.99 COP 12.6K

12.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 MX$200

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-18.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$27.71

$1.70 COP 5,384

-11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 MX$45.96

$2.37 COP 7,525

5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.72

$1.21 COP 3,827

-42.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.37 MX$358

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-74.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.24

$1.32 COP 4,179

101.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 MX$69.5

$2.14 COP 6,774

75.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 MX$163

$8.47 COP 26.8K

4.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.84

$1.30 COP 4,114

20.00%

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

$21.3K MX$393.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-24.00%

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

$23.9K MX$441.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-32.52%

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

$115 MX$2,133

$172 COP 545.6K

-32.91%

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

$21.17 MX$391

$13.37 COP 42.4K

58.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.17 MX$631

$28.73 COP 91.1K

18.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.22 MX$540

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-35.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.10 MX$224

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-28.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 MX$140

$6.28 COP 19.9K

20.54%

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

$257 MX$4,744

$770 COP 2.4M

-66.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,594 MX$66.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-60.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 MX$998

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-37.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 MX$983

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,902

$137 COP 432.9K

-24.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 MX$1,547

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-14.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$11.4K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-41.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 MX$8,551

$616 COP 2.0M

-24.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-32.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 MX$17.6K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-6.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,230 MX$41.2K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-45.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,223 MX$22.6K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-27.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 MX$11.0K

$652 COP 2.1M

-9.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

10.94

6.40%

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

Last update for Merida: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$463 34.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 33.1% $153

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$270 20.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 9.2% $25

Eating Out

Merida

$212 15.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 20.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$171 12.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 25.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$132 9.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 28.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$44 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 30.3% $13

Getting Around

Merida

$44 3.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 114% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in Merida versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 10% 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 $55.0 in Merida versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $270 in Merida vs $295 in Medellin – so Merida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Merida

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

22:01 10:01 PM

1 h ahead of Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merida Medellin 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Merida
Medellin

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

Merida vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,003 per month in Merida and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,336 in Merida and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 21%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $1,336, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Merida – 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 Merida. 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.