Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Bernardino, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,788 in San Bernardino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardino, CA
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San Bernardino, CA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Bernardino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Bernardino, CA

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,788 in San Bernardino, CA, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Bernardino, CA $2,788

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,091 in San Bernardino, CA, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Bernardino, CA $4,091

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,395 in San Bernardino, CA, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Bernardino, CA $5,395

Medellin is about 41% cheaper than San Bernardino, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and San Bernardino, CA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, San Bernardino, CA by 105%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$20.29 $20.29

-60.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$76.5 $76.5

-38.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$16.27 $16.27

-41.61%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$5.84 $5.84

-48.46%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$3.48 $3.48

-48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$2.35 $2.35

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$7.19 $7.19

-55.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$9.66 $9.66

-40.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.09 $1.09

38.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$4.02 $4.02

-40.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$4.73 $4.73

-62.58%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$4.78 $4.78

-39.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.14 $13.14

-22.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.75 $8.75

12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$15.66 $15.66

-10.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.79 $4.79

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.81 $1.81

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$4.00 $4.00

-45.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$5.49 $5.49

-60.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$3.65 $3.65

-46.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.24 $2.24

-29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.98 $1.98

-41.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.94 $1.94

-36.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$11.75 $11.75

-66.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$14.73 $14.73

-7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.16 $2.16

-23.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$4.20 $4.20

-46.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.01 $2.01

-41.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$61.0 $61.0

26.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$9.85 $9.85

-87.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.53 $1.53

-11.76%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.0K $29.0K

17.50%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.1K $26.1K

33.03%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$217 $217

-21.91%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$67.2 $67.2

-79.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$71.7 $71.7

-60.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$31.81 $31.81

37.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$15.06 $15.06

-54.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,153 $1,153

-30.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$17.8K $17.8K

-48.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$63.6 $63.6

33.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$48.79 $48.79

18.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$107 $107

26.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$144 $144

-31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,277 $1,277

-5.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,375 $1,375

-53.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,048 $2,048

-0.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,325 $2,325

-56.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,069 $4,069

2.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,358 $3,358

-43.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,452 $3,452

-80.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.39

71.21%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Bernardino, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Bernardino, CA

$1.4K 49.3% 114% $734

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Bernardino, CA

$393 14.1% 32.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Bernardino, CA

$356 12.8% 68.6% $145

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Bernardino, CA

$360 12.9% 112% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Bernardino, CA

$163 5.9% 3.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Bernardino, CA

$79 * 2.8% 15.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Bernardino, CA

$62 2.2% 7.6% $4.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,277 in San Bernardino, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in San Bernardino, CA are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $77 in San Bernardino, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $393 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 San Bernardino, CA

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

3 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

220,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin San Bernardino, CA 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Bernardino, CA

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 Bernardino, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Bernardino, CA is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,182 in San Bernardino, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,277 in San Bernardino, CA. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $77 in San Bernardino, CA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,788 in San Bernardino, CA. That makes Medellin about 41% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in San Bernardino, CA at $2,788. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Bernardino, CA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Bernardino, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.