Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Saku

For one person, living is cheaper in Saku: $1,108 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Saku
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Saku Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Saku

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Saku

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,108 in Saku, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Saku $1,108

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,724 in Saku, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Saku $1,724

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,339 in Saku, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Saku $2,339

Medellin costs about 53% more than Saku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Saku is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$16.43 €14.69

-49.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$70.4 €62.9

-33.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$11.23 €10.04

-15.67%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.14 €3.70

-24.40%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$2.25 €2.01

-21.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$2.32 €2.07

-38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.66 €5.96

-52.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$6.51 €5.82

-12.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.09 €0.97

40.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.39 €1.24

64.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$2.38 €2.13

-18.49%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.90 €2.59

5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$11.04 €9.88

-9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.41 €7.52

24.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$14.64 €13.09

-4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.14 €1.92

89.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.38 €1.23

10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$2.49 €2.23

-15.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$3.01 €2.70

-23.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$0.82 €0.73

157.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.81 €0.72

111.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.85 €1.66

-36.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.01 €0.90

56.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.91 €6.18

-43.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$10.22 €9.14

37.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.90 €1.69

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.08 €1.86

30.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$3.67 €3.28

-50.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.03 €0.92

106.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$26.04 €23.28

-68.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$2.02 €1.80

-36.63%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$28.2K €25.2K

22.11%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$29.3K €26.2K

16.60%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$312 €279

-43.00%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$17.17 €15.36

-19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$32.62 €29.17

-5.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.65 €10.41

-35.88%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$469 €420

68.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$10.2K €9,106

20.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$102 €90.8

-14.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$48.12 €43.03

23.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$106 €94.6

30.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$119 €106

-16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$4,012 €3,588

2.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,648 €2,368

-26.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,764 €1,577

-63.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.44

218.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saku: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Saku

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Saku

$267 24.1% 13.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Saku

$362 32.6% 62.6% $139

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Saku

$279 25.2% 61.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Saku

$168 15.2% 2.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Saku

$8.8 * 0.8% 90.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Saku

$23 * 2.1% 59.1% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Saku are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $70 in Saku. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $267 in Saku – so Saku wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇪 Saku

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,548

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Saku 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Saku

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 Saku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,662 in Saku. 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 $70 in Saku. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saku, where all-in costs run around $1,108, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Saku 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 $1,108 in Saku to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.