Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and El Salvador

Name: El Salvador
Address: SV

For one person, living is cheaper in El Salvador: $1,466 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in El Salvador
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El Salvador Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,466

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 9.9% more expensive than El Salvador without rent, and 8.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 11% more expensive than El Salvador without rent, and 16.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$6.68 $6.68

19.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$44.84 $44.84

3.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$7.08 $7.08

33.19%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.57 $3.57

-18.49%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.14 $1.14

53.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.92 $0.92

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$2.03 $2.03

54.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.49 $3.49

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.84 $1.84

-23.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$2.40 $2.40

1.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.55 $1.55

5.16%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$2.76 $2.76

2.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$7.61 $7.61

27.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$5.95 $5.95

56.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$8.99 $8.99

49.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$3.81 $3.81

4.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.74 $1.74

-14.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.96 $2.96

-28.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$2.93 $2.93

-23.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$2.85 $2.85

-32.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$2.32 $2.32

-30.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.97 $0.97

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.95 $0.95

32.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.97 $3.97

-3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$11.90 $11.90

10.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.90 $1.90

-15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.77 $2.77

-18.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.36 $0.36

225.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$35.46 $35.46

111.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$6.51 $6.51

-80.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$3.09 $3.09

-33.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$20.04 $20.04

-59.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.19 $1.19

6.72%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$25.2K $25.2K

6.07%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$28.3K $28.3K

21.58%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$104 $104

55.73%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$22.38 $22.38

-41.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$41.65 $41.65

-32.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$31.73 $31.73

39.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$16.60 $16.60

-1.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$4.96 $4.96

22.78%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$167 $167

357.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$4,427 $4,427

101.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$63.2 $63.2

34.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$49.16 $49.16

16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$119 $119

10.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$103 $103

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$733 $733

40.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$655 $655

-7.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,261 $1,261

42.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$881 $881

12.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$2,730 $2,730

43.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,601 $1,601

2.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$440 $440

42.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.48

29.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for El Salvador: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

El Salvador

$655 44.3% 8.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

El Salvador

$262 17.7% 9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

El Salvador

$168 11.4% 17.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

El Salvador

$150 10.2% 9.7% $16

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

El Salvador

$143 9.7% 14.1% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

El Salvador

$59 4% 35.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

El Salvador

$42 2.8% 26.3% $15

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

6,029,976

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin El Salvador 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
El Salvador

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

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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