Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Saint Ann's Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Ann’s Bay: $1,006 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Medellin, Colombia
Saint Ann's Bay, Jamaica
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Saint Ann's Bay
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$1,006
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Saint Ann's Bay

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 Saint Ann's Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Saint Ann's Bay $1,006

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,600 in Saint Ann’s Bay, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Saint Ann's Bay $1,600

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,195 in Saint Ann’s Bay, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Saint Ann's Bay $2,195

Medellin costs about 63% more than Saint Ann’s Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Saint Ann’s Bay is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$13.35 JMD 2,105
-39.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$50.2 JMD 7,922
-6.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$8.31 JMD 1,311
14.32%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$5.46 JMD 862
-44.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$1.20 JMD 190
50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$0.70 JMD 110
101.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$2.25 JMD 354
41.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$3.12 JMD 492
84.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$4.07 JMD 641
-62.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$3.74 JMD 589
-36.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$1.63 JMD 258
8.59%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$3.47 JMD 547
-16.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$11.20 JMD 1,766
-9.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$6.20 JMD 978
59.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$10.09 JMD 1,591
38.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$6.00 JMD 946
-33.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$3.99 JMD 629
-61.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$7.53 JMD 1,187
-71.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$2.98 JMD 469
-26.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$3.28 JMD 518
-40.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$2.62 JMD 414
-39.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$3.15 JMD 497
-63.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$1.44 JMD 226
-13.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$9.30 JMD 1,467
-57.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$11.43 JMD 1,802
19.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$2.95 JMD 464
-43.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$4.03 JMD 636
-43.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
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
$1.30 JMD 204
-2.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$3.17 JMD 501
-35.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$6.44 JMD 1,016
32.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.30 JMD 205
3.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$43.4K JMD 6.8M
-21.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$32.7K JMD 5.2M
6.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$169 JMD 26.6K
0.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$29.03 JMD 4,577
-53.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$52.9 JMD 8,346
-46.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
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
$13.41 JMD 2,114
-48.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$366 JMD 57.7K
117.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$8,305 JMD 1.3M
9.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$23.59 JMD 3,719
259.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$31.44 JMD 4,957
84.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$78.3 JMD 12.4K
72.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$101 JMD 16.0K
-3.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Saint Ann's Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
9.45
15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint Ann's Bay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Saint Ann's Bay
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Saint Ann's Bay
$383 28.9% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Saint Ann's Bay
$251 18.7% $39
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Saint Ann's Bay
$222 31.1% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Saint Ann's Bay
$106 37.5% $63
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Saint Ann's Bay
$17 * 81.6% $76
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Saint Ann's Bay
$27 * 53.4% $31

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 $50 in Saint Ann’s Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $383 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇲 Saint Ann's Bay
🕒 Local time
16:39 4:39 PM
16:39 4:39 PM
Same time as Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
13,671
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Saint Ann's Bay 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Saint Ann's Bay

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 Saint Ann's Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Saint Ann’s Bay cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,508 in Saint Ann’s Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Saint Ann’s Bay?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $50 in Saint Ann’s Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Saint Ann’s Bay?
Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Medellin or in Saint Ann’s Bay?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Saint Ann’s Bay?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?