Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort St John, BC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,949 in Fort St John, BC, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Fort St John, BC $1,949
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,002 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Fort St John, BC $3,002
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,055 in Fort St John, BC versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Fort St John, BC $4,055
Medellin $3,199

Living in Fort St John, BC is roughly 20% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort St John, BC 44% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 CA$25.02

$8.30 COP 26.3K

113.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.02 CA$59.4

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 CA$13.22

$9.24 COP 29.3K

1.19%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.49

$3.05 COP 9,676

27.54%

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

$1.82 CA$2.58

$1.80 COP 5,707

1.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.73

$1.38 COP 4,382

-11.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$3.24 COP 10.3K

91.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 CA$6.38

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-18.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.34 CA$4.72

$1.50 COP 4,760

122.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 CA$3.94

$2.37 COP 7,508

17.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.17

$1.70 COP 5,377

115.29%

Eggs

$4.18 CA$5.90

$2.96 COP 9,379

41.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 CA$16.99

$10.22 COP 32.4K

17.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 CA$19.36

$9.74 COP 30.9K

40.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.57 CA$26.26

$13.90 COP 44.1K

33.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.73 CA$8.10

$4.13 COP 13.1K

38.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 CA$1.03

$1.53 COP 4,839

-52.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$2.22 COP 7,052

69.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.11

$2.27 COP 7,194

59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.98

$1.99 COP 6,311

41.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$1.67 COP 5,285

65.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 CA$3.03

$1.18 COP 3,742

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.57

$1.24 COP 3,919

103.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.36 CA$20.29

$3.87 COP 12.3K

271.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.42 CA$30.29

$13.78 COP 43.7K

55.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 CA$6.85

$1.66 COP 5,256

192.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.91

$2.40 COP 7,615

133.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.24 COP 3,944

16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.86 CA$40.80

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-63.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.35 COP 4,288

-7.41%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$126 CA$178

$167 COP 528.4K

-24.52%

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

$101 CA$142

$13.62 COP 43.2K

638.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 CA$86.2

$29.12 COP 92.3K

109.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.48 CA$19.06

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-70.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.94

$6.97 COP 22.1K

51.51%

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

$697 CA$985

$790 COP 2.5M

-11.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 CA$101

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-18.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.43 CA$67.0

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-18.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 CA$148

$139 COP 440.7K

-24.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 CA$202

$98.9 COP 313.5K

44.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 CA$1,036

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-28.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 CA$1,002

$620 COP 2.0M

14.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 CA$2,180

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-18.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 CA$1,971

$1,008 COP 3.2M

38.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,291 CA$1,824

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-67.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,094 CA$4,374

$663 COP 2.1M

366.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

10.94

-44.24%

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

Last update for Fort St John, BC: 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

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 12.6% $89

Groceries & Markets

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 33.8% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 27.1% $78

Eating Out

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 36.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 4.7% $7.7

Getting Around

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 175% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 70.6% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Fort St John, BC and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort St John, BC pays 366% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42.00 in Fort St John, BC vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $450 vs $298, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

07:36 7:36 AM

2 h ahead of Fort St John, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,609

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fort St John, BC Medellin 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort St John, BC
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

Fort St John, BC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 366% higher in Fort St John, BC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $733 in Fort St John, BC versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,949 per month in Fort St John, BC versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Fort St John, BC. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fort St John, BC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Fort St John, BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.