Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Saint John, New Brunswick

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Saint John, New Brunswick

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 John, New Brunswick actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Saint John, New Brunswick $1,954

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,938 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Saint John, New Brunswick $2,938

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,922 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Saint John, New Brunswick $3,922

Medellin is about 17% cheaper than Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Saint John, New Brunswick sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Saint John, New Brunswick by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$18.44 CA$26.08

-54.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$61.0 CA$86.2

-23.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$10.83 CA$15.31

-14.68%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.96 CA$4.18

3.04%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.77 CA$2.50

1.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.07 CA$1.52

28.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$4.49 CA$6.35

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.00 CA$7.06

11.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.23 CA$3.16

-32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.81 CA$3.97

-15.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.99 CA$4.23

-43.14%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.56 CA$5.03

-16.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.47 CA$19.05

-24.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$12.04 CA$17.02

-19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$12.83 CA$18.14

8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$5.00 CA$7.07

-17.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.48 CA$2.10

3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.16 CA$5.88

-46.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.03 CA$5.70

-43.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.03 CA$2.86

-1.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.21 CA$3.12

-24.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.48 CA$3.50

-52.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.38 CA$1.95

-10.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$14.23 CA$20.12

-72.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.67 CA$13.67

42.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.78 CA$2.52

-6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.08 CA$2.93

15.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$2.09 CA$2.95

-40.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$56.4 CA$79.8

38.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.81 CA$3.97

-54.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.05 CA$1.48

104.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$17.60 CA$24.89

-52.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.28 CA$1.80

5.47%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$26.4K CA$37.3K

31.82%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$21.4K CA$30.3K

61.86%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$122 CA$173

36.51%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$42.20 CA$59.7

-67.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$64.5 CA$91.2

-54.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$53.3 CA$75.4

-15.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$35.52 CA$50.2

-51.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$12.61 CA$17.83

-44.73%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$372 CA$526

112.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$11.3K CA$16.0K

-20.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$50.5 CA$71.4

73.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$35.95 CA$50.8

61.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$101 CA$143

37.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$107 CA$151

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$966 CA$1,366

6.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$826 CA$1,168

-25.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,609 CA$2,275

16.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,353 CA$1,913

-25.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,035 CA$2,876

96.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,131 CA$3,013

-20.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$2,596 CA$3,670

-74.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.69

133.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$826 42.3% 33.3% $207

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$356 18.2% 19.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.7% 9.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.8% 23.4% $40

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$259 13.3% 51.8% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.7% 23.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$79 4% 33.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 291% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $356 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

70,063

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Saint John, New Brunswick 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Saint John, New Brunswick

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 John, New Brunswick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John, New Brunswick is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,930 in Saint John, New Brunswick. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Saint John, New Brunswick at $1,954. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John, New Brunswick it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John, New Brunswick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.