Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Antonio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Antonio: $607 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio
Learn more

San Antonio Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Antonio

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Antonio

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $607 in San Antonio, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Antonio $607

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,032 in San Antonio, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Antonio $1,032

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,458 in San Antonio, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Antonio $1,458

Medellin costs about 170% more than San Antonio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Antonio is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.80 ₲40.6K

18.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$43.91 ₲261.9K

7.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$6.77 ₲40.4K

40.32%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.52 ₲21.0K

-14.49%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.08 ₲6,459

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.60 ₲3,595

135.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.04 ₲12.2K

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.80 ₲10.7K

219.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.31 ₲7,813

15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.51 ₲9,036

57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.32 ₲7,853

34.09%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.39 ₲14.2K

20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.94 ₲59.3K

2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.27 ₲31.4K

87.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.22 ₲61.0K

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.98 ₲17.8K

33.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.32 ₲7,846

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.17 ₲7,002

86.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.41 ₲14.4K

-9.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.35 ₲8,060

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.30 ₲7,725

22.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.88 ₲5,240

30.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.78 ₲4,627

58.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.41 ₲14.4K

64.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$9.28 ₲55.3K

47.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.37 ₲8,177

21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.77 ₲10.6K

27.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.52 ₲9,072

-16.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.52 ₲9,059

34.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.39 ₲62.0K

-17.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.27 ₲7,568

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$17.1K ₲101.7M

99.77%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$30.5K ₲181.8M

13.76%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$50.7 ₲302.3K

234.81%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$17.70 ₲105.6K

-23.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$22.10 ₲131.8K

27.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.92 ₲53.2K

-22.53%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$184 ₲1.1M

332.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,737 ₲34.2M

58.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$65.0 ₲387.9K

30.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$56.1 ₲334.9K

3.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$105 ₲627.7K

28.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$71.2 ₲424.6K

37.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.5

4.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Antonio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Antonio

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Antonio

$218 35.9% 26.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Antonio

$90 14.9% 57.2% $121

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Antonio

$138 22.7% 18.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Antonio

$134 22.1% 20.7% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Antonio

$9.1 * 1.5% 90.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Antonio

$18 * 2.9% 69% $40

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 $44 in San Antonio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $218 – making San Antonio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇾 San Antonio

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

21:40 9:40 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

68,127

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,660 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin San Antonio 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Antonio

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 San Antonio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 170%, 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 $910 in San Antonio. 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 $44 in San Antonio. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Antonio, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Medellin at $1,639. In San Antonio 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 $607 in San Antonio to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.