Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sabana Grande

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabana Grande: $1,317 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Sabana Grande
Learn more

Sabana Grande Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sabana Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sabana Grande

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Sabana Grande actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,317 in Sabana Grande, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sabana Grande $1,317

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,075 in Sabana Grande, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sabana Grande $2,075

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,833 in Sabana Grande, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sabana Grande $2,833

Medellin costs about 24% more than Sabana Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sabana Grande is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$19.27 $19.27

-58.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$81.4 $81.4

-42.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.94 $8.94

6.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.67 $3.67

-17.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.88 $1.88

-4.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.49 $1.49

-5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.92 $2.92

8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.13 $5.13

12.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.13 $2.13

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.67 $3.67

-35.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.33 $2.33

-24.03%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$7.28 $7.28

-60.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.47 $12.47

-18.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.38 $9.38

5.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.46 $13.46

3.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.97 $4.97

-20.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.64 $2.64

-41.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.84 $4.84

-54.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.84 $4.84

-54.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.84 $3.84

-48.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$4.06 $4.06

-60.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.36 $3.36

-65.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.66 $1.66

-25.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$12.11 $12.11

-67.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$15.38 $15.38

-11.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$3.10 $3.10

-46.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.92 $3.92

-42.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.54 $2.54

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.51 $1.51

35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$42.44 $42.44

-79.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.18 $1.18

14.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$34.3K $34.3K

-0.79%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.9K $27.9K

24.22%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$320 $320

-46.93%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$68.4 $68.4

-80.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$69.1 $69.1

-59.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.65 $10.65

-35.12%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$833 $833

-4.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$12.7K $12.7K

-28.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$56.2 $56.2

50.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$61.1 $61.1

-5.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$109 $109

23.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$113 $113

-13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sabana Grande: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sabana Grande

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sabana Grande

$412 31.3% 38.9% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sabana Grande

$457 34.7% 116% $246

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sabana Grande

$263 20% 55.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sabana Grande

$153 11.6% 9.5% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sabana Grande

$10 * 0.8% 89.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sabana Grande

$21 * 1.6% 63% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $81 in Sabana Grande. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $412 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Sabana Grande

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

25,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sabana Grande 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sabana Grande

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 Sabana Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,976 in Sabana Grande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $81 in Sabana Grande. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sabana Grande, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sabana Grande it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,317 in Sabana Grande to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.