Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 32% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 24.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 9.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 40.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$201
$6.14 COP 22.2K
89.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$742
$33.05 COP 119.3K
29.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$184
$7.32 COP 26.4K
44.81%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.3
$1.66 COP 5,987
116.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.21
$1.10 COP 3,987
31.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.58
$0.78 COP 2,822
15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.6
$1.71 COP 6,188
77.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$79.2
$3.17 COP 11.5K
43.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.20
$1.11 COP 4,012
30.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.72
$1.31 COP 4,719
39.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.92
$1.38 COP 4,980
16.67%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$44.05
$2.22 COP 8,009
14.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$4.34 COP 15.7K
96.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$147
$5.80 COP 20.9K
46.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$189
$8.98 COP 32.4K
20.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.37
$2.26 COP 8,164
20.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.91
$1.11 COP 4,023
34.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.73
$1.46 COP 5,284
32.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.57
$1.37 COP 4,929
57.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$32.05
$1.11 COP 4,009
66.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$38.00
$1.16 COP 4,199
88.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.62
$0.89 COP 3,211
20.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.81
$0.87 COP 3,124
24.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.5
$2.35 COP 8,495
72.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$182
$10.86 COP 39.2K
-3.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.71
$1.20 COP 4,330
37.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.23
$2.48 COP 8,946
2.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.65
$0.79 COP 2,842
-29.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$455
$40.77 COP 147.2K
-35.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.5
$1.42 COP 5,137
121.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$41.17
$1.91 COP 6,900
24.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.2
$7.65 COP 27.6K
-57.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.81
$0.97 COP 3,490
35.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$530.2K
$18.1K COP 65.3M
68.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$413.6K
$26.3K COP 95.0M
-9.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,443
$81.3 COP 293.5K
2.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$385
$9.63 COP 34.8K
130.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$510
$24.36 COP 88.0K
20.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$889
$26.02 COP 93.9K
96.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$324
$18.92 COP 68.3K
-1.22%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.9
$3.89 COP 14.0K
25.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,449
$304 COP 1.1M
-34.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$90.4K
$5,902 COP 21.3M
-11.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$624
$58.7 COP 211.8K
-38.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$684
$32.48 COP 117.2K
21.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,394
$102 COP 367.3K
-21.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,520
$108 COP 390.4K
-19.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.7K
$474 COP 1.7M
103.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,370
$371 COP 1.3M
30.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.6K
$848 COP 3.1M
94.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.7K
$716 COP 2.6M
66.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.7K
$2,871 COP 10.4M
37.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$113.1K
$1,375 COP 5.0M
373.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.6K
$542 COP 2.0M
34.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
13.43
-14.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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