Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tijuana and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,292 a month against $1,625 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 Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,292

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Tijuana vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Tijuana $1,292
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $2,025 per month in Tijuana vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Tijuana $2,025
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,758 per month in Tijuana vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Tijuana $2,758
Medellin $3,199

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

Tijuana sits 5% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.27 MX$227

$8.30 COP 26.3K

47.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.46 MX$637

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-26.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 MX$185

$9.24 COP 29.3K

8.12%

Cappuccino

$4.19 MX$77.4

$3.05 COP 9,676

37.38%

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

$1.36 MX$25.22

$1.80 COP 5,707

-24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.98

$1.38 COP 4,382

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$3.24 COP 10.3K

1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 MX$123

$5.56 COP 17.6K

19.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.56

$1.50 COP 4,760

21.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.3

$2.37 COP 7,508

21.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.91

$1.70 COP 5,377

4.71%

Eggs

$3.13 MX$57.8

$2.96 COP 9,379

5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 MX$154

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-18.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 MX$133

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-26.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 MX$220

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-14.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 MX$52.2

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-31.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.22

$1.53 COP 4,839

7.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.04

$2.22 COP 7,052

-14.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.90

$2.27 COP 7,194

-28.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.28

$1.99 COP 6,311

-25.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.82

$1.67 COP 5,285

12.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.12

$1.18 COP 3,742

28.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.65

$1.24 COP 3,919

-18.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.5

$3.87 COP 12.3K

11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 MX$153

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MX$40.06

$1.66 COP 5,256

30.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 MX$71.6

$2.40 COP 7,615

61.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 MX$19.70

$1.24 COP 3,944

-13.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.80 MX$569

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-60.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 MX$51.4

$1.28 COP 4,044

117.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 MX$40.80

$2.15 COP 6,803

2.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 MX$353

$8.37 COP 26.5K

127.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MX$27.66

$1.35 COP 4,288

11.11%

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

$24.8K MX$458.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-28.62%

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

$23.1K MX$427.0K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-33.38%

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

$47.10 MX$870

$167 COP 528.4K

-71.74%

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

$33.77 MX$624

$13.62 COP 43.2K

147.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 MX$539

$29.12 COP 92.3K

0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 MX$745

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-10.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 MX$149

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-53.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-4.45%

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

$202 MX$3,725

$790 COP 2.5M

-74.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,491 MX$83.0K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-50.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 MX$982

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-39.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.34 MX$838

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-22.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,868

$139 COP 440.7K

-27.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 MX$1,256

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-31.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$869 MX$16.1K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-15.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 MX$8,797

$620 COP 2.0M

-23.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 MX$27.4K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-21.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 MX$16.8K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-9.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,077 MX$56.9K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-22.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,752 MX$50.9K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

61.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$927 MX$17.1K

$663 COP 2.1M

39.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

10.94

10.33%

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

Last update for Tijuana: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tijuana

$476 36.8%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 30.1% $143

Groceries & Markets

Tijuana

$265 20.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 12.6% $33

Eating Out

Tijuana

$219 16.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 21.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Tijuana

$120 9.3%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 43.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tijuana

$110 8.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 90.3% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Tijuana

$54 4.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 10.1% $5.4

Getting Around

Tijuana

$49 3.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 94.7% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $869 in Tijuana 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.

Salaries run about 40% higher in Tijuana, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Tijuana versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $298 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

2 h ahead of Tijuana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,810,645

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 20, 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 20, 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

Tijuana Medellin 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tijuana
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

Tijuana 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 clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,938 per month in Tijuana 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 Tijuana, 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 $34.00 in Tijuana and $47.00 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 $1,292 in Tijuana and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tijuana, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tijuana – 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 Tijuana. 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.