Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Saint Louis, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,361 in Saint Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Saint Louis, MO
Learn more

Saint Louis, MO Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Saint Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Saint Louis, MO

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 Louis, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,361 in Saint Louis, MO, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Saint Louis, MO $2,361

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,555 in Saint Louis, MO, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Saint Louis, MO $3,555

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,749 in Saint Louis, MO, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Saint Louis, MO $4,749

Medellin is about 31% cheaper than Saint Louis, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Saint Louis, MO sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Saint Louis, MO by 73%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$17.81 $17.81

-54.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$76.3 $76.3

-38.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$11.83 $11.83

-19.70%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$5.04 $5.04

-40.28%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.39 $2.39

-24.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.76 $1.76

-19.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.72 $5.72

-44.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.96 $6.96

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.28 $1.28

17.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.93 $3.93

-39.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$5.88 $5.88

-69.90%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.86 $3.86

-25.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.26 $13.26

-23.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$15.67 $15.67

-37.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$20.61 $20.61

-32.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$8.44 $8.44

-52.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.37 $2.37

-34.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$5.77 $5.77

-62.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$5.15 $5.15

-57.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$4.38 $4.38

-55.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$4.93 $4.93

-67.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.91 $2.91

-60.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$2.93 $2.93

-57.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$8.16 $8.16

-51.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$14.85 $14.85

-7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.79 $2.79

-40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.27 $3.27

-30.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.55 $2.55

-54.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$78.3 $78.3

-1.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.44 $3.44

-63.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.59 $1.59

28.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$39.27 $39.27

-78.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.00 $1.00

35.00%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$29.0K $29.0K

17.43%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$26.6K $26.6K

30.55%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$246 $246

-31.08%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$69.5 $69.5

-80.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$75.7 $75.7

-62.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$28.83 $28.83

51.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$20.14 $20.14

-14.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.75 $13.75

-49.75%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,404 $1,404

-43.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$23.6K $23.6K

-61.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$58.9 $58.9

43.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$39.31 $39.31

47.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$88.3 $88.3

52.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$121 $121

-19.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,453 $1,453

-16.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$881 $881

-27.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,797 $1,797

12.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,519 $1,519

-33.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,631 $1,631

155.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,819 $1,819

5.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,178 $4,178

-84.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.72

62.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint Louis, MO: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Saint Louis, MO

$881 37.3% 37.4% $240

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Saint Louis, MO

$496 21% 67.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Saint Louis, MO

$391 16.6% 85.2% $180

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Saint Louis, MO

$297 12.6% 75.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Saint Louis, MO

$138 5.9% 18.1% $31

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Saint Louis, MO

$100 4.2% 6.8% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Saint Louis, MO

$56 2.4% 2.1% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,453 in Saint Louis, MO. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Saint Louis, MO are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $76 in Saint Louis, MO. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $496 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Saint Louis, MO

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

301,578

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Saint Louis, MO 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Saint Louis, MO

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 Louis, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Louis, MO is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,542 in Saint Louis, MO. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,453 in Saint Louis, MO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $76 in Saint Louis, MO. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Saint Louis, MO, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint Louis, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.