Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tapachula and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tapachula: $1,164 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tapachula
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Tapachula Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tapachula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,164

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,164 per month in Tapachula vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Tapachula $1,164
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,828 per month in Tapachula vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Tapachula $1,828
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,493 per month in Tapachula vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Tapachula $2,493
Medellin $3,199

Tapachula is about 28% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tapachula sits 14% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.44 MX$193

$8.30 COP 26.3K

25.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.58 MX$750

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-13.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 MX$146

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-14.50%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$3.05 COP 9,676

21.64%

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

$1.27 MX$23.45

$1.80 COP 5,707

-29.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.35

$1.38 COP 4,382

-15.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.58

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 MX$69.3

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-32.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.77

$1.50 COP 4,760

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.05

$2.37 COP 7,508

11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.96

$1.70 COP 5,377

-4.71%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$2.96 COP 9,379

-17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 MX$149

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-20.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 MX$154

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-14.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 MX$212

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-17.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.72

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-44.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.23

$1.53 COP 4,839

3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.50

$2.22 COP 7,052

-6.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.81

$2.27 COP 7,194

-19.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.94

$1.99 COP 6,311

-5.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$1.67 COP 5,285

8.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$1.18 COP 3,742

37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.12

$1.24 COP 3,919

-12.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$3.87 COP 12.3K

10.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 MX$170

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-33.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$1.66 COP 5,256

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.40 COP 7,615

27.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.19

$1.24 COP 3,944

-50.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.11

$1.28 COP 4,044

107.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$2.15 COP 6,803

-20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 MX$185

$8.37 COP 26.5K

19.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.73

$1.35 COP 4,288

-0.74%

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

$25.3K MX$467.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-27.30%

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

$23.0K MX$424.7K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-33.74%

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

$54.4 MX$1,006

$167 COP 528.4K

-67.33%

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

$23.70 MX$438

$13.62 COP 43.2K

74.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 MX$498

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-7.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 MX$687

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-17.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.73 MX$346

$17.18 COP 54.5K

9.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MX$92.6

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-28.12%

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

$245 MX$4,528

$790 COP 2.5M

-68.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,825 MX$89.2K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-46.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 MX$1,060

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-34.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.06 MX$759

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,820

$139 COP 440.7K

-29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MX$1,696

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$7,904

$620 COP 2.0M

-30.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 MX$20.0K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-42.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-23.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,952 MX$36.1K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-51.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 MX$20.1K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-36.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.94

3.29%

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

Last update for Tapachula: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tapachula

$428 36.8%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 44.8% $192

Groceries & Markets

Tapachula

$259 22.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 15% $39

Eating Out

Tapachula

$181 15.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 5.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Tapachula

$130 11.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 32.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tapachula

$105 9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 99.3% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Tapachula

$47 4.1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 25.1% $12

Getting Around

Tapachula

$14 * 1.2%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 600% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Tapachula versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Tapachula versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $298 – making Tapachula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tapachula

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

1 h ahead of Tapachula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,550

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 22, 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 22, 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

Tapachula Medellin 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tapachula
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

Tapachula vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,745 per month in Tapachula and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tapachula, 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 $41.00 in Tapachula and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tapachula, where all-in costs run around $1,164, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Tapachula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tapachula – 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 Tapachula. 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.