Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Barranquilla

For one person, living is cheaper in Barranquilla: $1,439 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Barranquilla

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

A single person spends $1,561 per month in Mexico City vs $1,439 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Mexico City $1,561
Barranquilla $1,439

A couple spends around $2,440 per month in Mexico City vs $2,247 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Mexico City $2,440
Barranquilla $2,247

A family of three spends $3,319 per month in Mexico City vs $3,056 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Mexico City $3,319
Barranquilla $3,056

Mexico City costs about 8% more than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Mexico City and Barranquilla sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Barranquilla by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$204

$8.66 COP 27.6K

28.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$900

$62.1 COP 198.0K

-21.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$206

$13.40 COP 42.7K

-16.19%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.0

$2.62 COP 8,356

43.51%

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

$1.65 MX$30.34

$1.35 COP 4,298

22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.48

$1.23 COP 3,929

4.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$3.04 COP 9,679

7.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

$7.70 COP 24.5K

-26.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.23

$0.90 COP 2,875

101.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.0

$1.24 COP 3,966

137.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.62

$1.52 COP 4,834

34.87%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.7

$2.04 COP 6,509

43.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$219

$4.77 COP 15.2K

150.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$17.28 COP 55.1K

-44.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$6.84 COP 21.8K

116.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.7

$2.19 COP 6,985

43.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.99

$0.95 COP 3,031

111.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$0.58 COP 1,862

258.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$1.87 COP 5,948

18.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.82

$1.20 COP 3,831

71.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.46

$0.95 COP 3,019

97.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.18

$1.25 COP 3,971

18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.70

$0.95 COP 3,017

42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$5.02 COP 16.0K

7.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

$12.31 COP 39.2K

36.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

$1.50 COP 4,783

32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

$4.52 COP 14.4K

-4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.33

$1.13 COP 3,615

-69.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.47

$3.31 COP 10.6K

-36.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.74

$3.01 COP 9,582

-82.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$15.51 COP 49.4K

-65.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.91

$1.29 COP 4,122

17.83%

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

$21.7K MX$399.0K

$21.3K COP 68.0M

1.87%

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

$24.8K MX$455.6K

$27.9K COP 88.9M

-11.07%

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

$63.0 MX$1,156

$148 COP 471.7K

-57.46%

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

$28.88 MX$530

$14.29 COP 45.5K

102.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$623

$32.19 COP 102.6K

5.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,024

$33.20 COP 105.8K

68.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$124

$4.47 COP 14.2K

51.45%

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

$428 MX$7,854

$301 COP 959.1K

42.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.0K

$4,623 COP 14.7M

156.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,286

$109 COP 346.3K

-35.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$986

$46.51 COP 148.2K

15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,016

$181 COP 577.5K

-39.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,115

$245 COP 781.3K

-53.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.5K

$760 COP 2.4M

39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.3K

$489 COP 1.6M

37.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.7K

$796 COP 2.5M

199.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.1K

$883 COP 2.8M

42.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

$1,793 COP 5.7M

107.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

$616 COP 2.0M

220.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.3K

$502 COP 1.6M

98.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Barranquilla: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Barranquilla

$489 33.9% 27.1% $182

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Barranquilla

$248 17.2% 24% $79

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Barranquilla

$182 12.6% 12.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Barranquilla

$262 18.2% 66.8% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Barranquilla

$195 13.5% 54.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Barranquilla

$42 2.9% 39.2% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Barranquilla

$23 * 1.6% 13.1% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,062 in Mexico City versus $760 in Barranquilla. 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 99% higher in Mexico City, 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 $49.00 in Mexico City versus $62.0 in Barranquilla. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Mexico City vs $248 in Barranquilla – so Barranquilla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,327,209

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Barranquilla 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
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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

Mexico City vs Barranquilla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 8% more than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,341 per month in Mexico City and $2,158 in Barranquilla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barranquilla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,561 in Mexico City and $1,439 in Barranquilla. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $428 per month in Mexico City and $301 in Barranquilla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Barranquilla, where all-in costs run around $1,439, than in Mexico City at $1,561. In Barranquilla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barranquilla costs $1,439 versus $1,561 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Barranquilla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.