Which place is cheaper, Medellin or Mexico City?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Mexico City or Medellin?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Mexico City or Medellin? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Mexico City or Medellin?
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
Medellin
In addition to big improvements in public safety, Medellin has witnessed a huge surge in urban development projects, including Colombia's first metro system and cable cars to service poorer neighborhoods located high on the mountain sides. There is an abundance of parks, libraries, museums and public spaces with many cultural events taking place. Many travelers also enjoy visiting the surrounding villages, where life is simple and landscapes and nature reserves are wonderful. Medellin has now become one of the "it" cities in the world, with tons of tourists visiting and foreigners settling and retiring here. Beautiful mountains, warm weather, friendly locals, and a vibrant culture are just a few of the reasons why you should visit Medellin.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico, The Best Adventure Tours to Colombia, and The Best Eco Tours in Colombia.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMexico City $214Medellin $23
The average daily cost (per person) in Mexico City is $214, while the average daily cost in Medellin is $23. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Mexico City and Medellin in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMexico City $41Medellin $4.75
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMexico City $82Medellin $9.50
Compare Hotels in Mexico City and Medellin
Looking for a hotel in Mexico City or Medellin? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Mexico City Hotel Prices and Medellin Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Mexico City $13Medellin $4.14
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.20
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Uber Ride$4.21
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Aguascalientes Airport (AGU) Aguascalientes - RoundTrip Transfer: $48
- Aguascalientes to Aguascalientes Airport (AGU) Departure Transfer: $24
- Airport Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Business Car: $86
- Airport Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Luxury SUV/Van: $91
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Business Car: $86
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV: $91
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV/Van: $91
- Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Business Car: $86
- Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Luxury SUV: $91
- Departure Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Business Car: $86
- Departure Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV: $91
- International Airport Felipe Angeles(NLU) - Private Transfer To/from Mexico City: $104
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Medellin
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Medellin:
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Taxi$1.65
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Medellin
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Medellin:
- Transfer in Private Car from Guatape- Medellin airport (MDE): $34
- Transfer from or to Medellin's airport: $55
- Transfer Private Car from Medellin city - Medellin Airport (MDE): $23
- Transfer José María Córdova Airport - Medellin - Private Ride Airport .. !!: $45
- Santa Marta Airport to Santa Marta (or vice versa) Private Transfer : $16
- RoundtripTransfer Privatecar Medellin Airport (MDE) Medellin City: $47
- Private Transfer Jose Marie Cordova Airport to Medellin Bello: $100
- Private Transfer Aerop Jose Maria Cordova - Up to 3 people: $33
- Private Medellin Airport Transfer with English-Speaking Driver: $50
- Private Arrival Transfer : From Airport to Medellín Hotels : $54
- Olaya Herrera Airport (EOH) to Medellin -Arrival Private Transfer: $27
- Night-time Private transfer service from or to Medellín Airport: $47
Is it cheaper to fly into Mexico City or Medellin?
Prices for flights to both Medellin and Mexico City change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayMexico City $27Medellin $9.61
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.69
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Dinner for 2$27
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Traveling Spoon Mexican Tacos and Tortillas Private Online Cooking Class: $40
- Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
- Veracruz and Boca del Rio Food Tour with Mangroves Boat Trip: $50
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $50
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Uruapan Food Tour: $60
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $66
- Muchos moles: Multi-variety mole cooking class and feast: $70
- Mexico City Vegan & Veggie Market Explorer plus Cooking Lesson: $72
- Street Food Tour with Friends: $75
- La Roma Authentic Downtown Food Tour: Tacos and Local Flavors: $78
- Food Tour with Ride an Electric Bike in Mexico: $80
Typical Food Prices in Medellin
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Medellin:
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Lunch$2.10
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Medellin
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Medellin.
- Homemade Paisa Dinner at a Local's Home in Medellín: $69
- Homemade Paisa Dinner at a Local's Home in Medellín: $71
- Sabor Colombiano Cooking Studio: $100
- Combo Tour: Street Art, Christmas Lights and Food Tour in Medellin: $131
- Comuna 13, Fruit & Street Food Tour: $166
- Private tour: Medellin City – Pablo Escobar and Food Tour: $166
- Combo Tour: Metro System, Christmas Lights and Food Tour of Medellin: $166
- A Night Out in Medellin with Dinner and Drinks Included: $175
- ATV Adventure Including Medellin City and Food Tour: $185
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Mexico City $15Medellin $13
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.66
- Double Decker Bus Night Tour: $5.83
- Franz Mayer Museum Admission Ticket: $5.83
- Self-Guided Audio Tour-Moctezuma and the Zocalo:The Aztec Empire : $6.99
- Night Bus Tour Knowing Mexico City: $7.18
- La Roma's Famous Sights and Local Lore: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.99
- Private Tour to the Capuchin Convent Chapel made by Luis Barragan : $8.00
- Memory and Tolerance Museum Entry Ticket: $8.16
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.75
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.75
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $8.95
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
Tours and Activities in Medellin
Here are a few actual costs in Medellin for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Comuna 13 + Medellin City Tour: $230
- Medellin City Private Tour: $83
- Private Tour to Explore Comuna 13 in Medellín: $65
- Private tour Guatapé Peñol stone and coffee farm: $139
- 1 Hour ATV Adventure Tour in Medellin : $140
- 4 Hours Private Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour: $60
- 5-Hour Coffee and Pablo Express Mix Tour in Medellín: $110
- 90 Minute Walking Tour of Guatapé: $16
- ATV Private Tour in Medellin: $138
- ATV Quad Tour from Medellin with Transportation : $132
- ATV Tour 3 Mountains Medellin: $170
- ATV Tours from Medellin : $125
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMexico City $21Medellin $7.21
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $27
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Mexico City Bar Crawl: $29
- Mexico City Bar Crawl: $39
- Best Bar Crawl at Downtown: $49
- Nightly Historic Center From Above© Rooftop Bar Crawl +Taco Snack: $129
- 2 Hours Private Mexican Wine Tasting in Polanco: $155
- Third Largest Monolith in the World:Bernal with wine tasting: $235
- Cavas Freixenet Wine Tour from Mexico City: $255
Sample the Local Flavors in Medellin
Also in Medellin, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- 4 Hours Pub Crawl Nightlife in Medellin: $41
- All-Inclusive Comuna 13 Nightlife Bar Crawl with Locals: $130
- Medellin Pub Crawl Including Food and City Tour: $139
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mexico City and Medellin, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Medellin much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Mexico City is in North America and Medellin is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Medellin would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Medellin and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City than you might in Medellin.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Mexico City Expensive? and Is Medellin Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Mexico City or Medellin?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 6 times larger than the population of Medellin. When comparing the sizes of Mexico City and Medellin, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.