Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tampico and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tampico: $1,304 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Tampico
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Tampico Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,304

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tampico 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 Tampico and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,304 per month in Tampico vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Tampico $1,304
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,065 per month in Tampico vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Tampico $2,065
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,825 per month in Tampico vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Tampico $2,825
Medellin $3,186

Tampico is about 20% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tampico sits 4% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 MX$156

$8.09 COP 26.1K

2.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 MX$1,015

$47.05 COP 151.9K

14.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 MX$180

$9.50 COP 30.7K

0.84%

Cappuccino

$2.97 MX$55.8

$3.01 COP 9,735

-1.33%

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

$1.19 MX$22.43

$1.80 COP 5,809

-33.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.83

$1.41 COP 4,561

-40.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MX$83.3

$3.18 COP 10.3K

39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$90.1

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-16.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.29

$1.51 COP 4,876

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 MX$74.9

$2.38 COP 7,678

67.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.84

$1.77 COP 5,720

-22.60%

Eggs

$3.98 MX$74.8

$2.89 COP 9,333

37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 MX$92.9

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-51.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 MX$183

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-1.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 MX$242

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 MX$64.0

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-14.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 MX$20.60

$1.55 COP 5,012

-29.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.72

$2.18 COP 7,048

-7.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.96

$2.18 COP 7,051

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.31

$1.96 COP 6,337

4.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 MX$50.5

$1.59 COP 5,132

69.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MX$39.16

$1.15 COP 3,699

80.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MX$16.29

$1.24 COP 4,014

-29.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 MX$87.9

$3.96 COP 12.8K

18.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 MX$28.72

$1.66 COP 5,359

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$14.06

$1.17 COP 3,771

-35.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.24 MX$512

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-64.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$49.76

$1.27 COP 4,094

108.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 MX$50.3

$2.05 COP 6,612

30.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 MX$95.8

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-40.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.97

$1.35 COP 4,349

2.22%

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

$32.1K MX$602.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-5.84%

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

$23.9K MX$449.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-31.03%

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

$102 MX$1,916

$170 COP 547.8K

-39.90%

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

$27.25 MX$512

$13.55 COP 43.8K

101.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.53 MX$442

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-16.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.28 MX$813

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-0.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 MX$306

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-5.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.41 MX$102

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-21.71%

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

$269 MX$5,060

$797 COP 2.6M

-66.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,934 MX$149.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-12.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 MX$1,380

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-13.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.9 MX$1,238

$58.0 COP 187.2K

13.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 MX$3,017

$135 COP 435.8K

18.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$239 MX$4,493

$97.9 COP 316.0K

144.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 MX$9,546

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 MX$7,136

$642 COP 2.1M

-40.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 MX$17.5K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-54.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 MX$12.4K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-34.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$539 MX$10.1K

$657 COP 2.1M

-17.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Tampico: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tampico

$380 29.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 69% $262

Groceries & Markets

Tampico

$258 * 19.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Tampico

$243 18.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 30.3% $74

Eating Out

Tampico

$171 13.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 0.5% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tampico

$153 11.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 38.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Tampico

$54 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 6.4% $3.4

Getting Around

Tampico

$46 3.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 102% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $508 in Tampico versus $1,208 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 22% 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 $54 in Tampico versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Tampico vs $297 in Medellin – so Tampico wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tampico

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

00:29 12:29 AM

1 h ahead of Tampico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,562

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tampico Medellin 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tampico
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

Tampico vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,956 per month in Tampico and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tampico, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $508 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Tampico and $47 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 $1,304 in Tampico and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Tampico about 20% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,304 in Tampico and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tampico – 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 Tampico. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.