Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Diego, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,973 in San Diego, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 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
192

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

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Diego, 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 Diego, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,973 in San Diego, CA, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Diego, CA $3,973

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $6,053 in San Diego, CA, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Diego, CA $6,053

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $8,133 in San Diego, CA, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Diego, CA $8,133

Medellin is about 59% cheaper than San Diego, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and San Diego, CA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, San Diego, CA by 192%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$27.35 $27.35

-70.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$99.2 $99.2

-52.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$14.82 $14.82

-35.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.96 $5.96

-49.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$3.23 $3.23

-44.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.66 $2.66

-46.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$7.77 $7.77

-59.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$10.04 $10.04

-42.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.27 $1.27

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$5.45 $5.45

-56.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$4.93 $4.93

-64.10%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$6.67 $6.67

-56.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$17.13 $17.13

-40.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$14.29 $14.29

-30.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$21.91 $21.91

-36.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.70 $4.70

-15.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.79 $1.79

-13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$4.77 $4.77

-54.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.99 $4.99

-56.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.51 $3.51

-44.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.81 $2.81

-43.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.13 $2.13

-46.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$2.13 $2.13

-41.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$11.90 $11.90

-66.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$15.70 $15.70

-12.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.25 $2.25

-26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.22 $3.22

-29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.44 $2.44

-52.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$73.3 $73.3

5.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.95 $2.95

-56.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.12 $2.12

-3.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$27.44 $27.44

-68.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.56 $1.56

-13.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.8K $29.8K

14.30%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.4K $26.4K

31.30%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$251 $251

-32.43%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$70.0 $70.0

-80.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$82.6 $82.6

-66.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$61.3 $61.3

-28.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$22.94 $22.94

-25.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$19.71 $19.71

-64.94%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,888 $1,888

-57.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$35.6K $35.6K

-74.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$64.9 $64.9

30.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$56.4 $56.4

2.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$116 $116

16.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$142 $142

-31.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$3,324 $3,324

-63.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$2,304 $2,304

-72.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$5,433 $5,433

-62.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$4,405 $4,405

-77.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$8,002 $8,002

-47.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$6,558 $6,558

-70.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$5,165 $5,165

-87.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.75

62.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Diego, CA

$2.3K 58% 259% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Diego, CA

$480 12.1% 61.5% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Diego, CA

$404 10.2% 91.1% $192

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Diego, CA

$417 10.5% 146% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Diego, CA

$171 4.3% 1% $1.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Diego, CA

$97 2.4% 3.2% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Diego, CA

$101 2.5% 75.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $3,324 in San Diego, 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 Diego, CA are about 7.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $99 in San Diego, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $480 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 San Diego, CA

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

3 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,386,932

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin San Diego, CA 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Diego, 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 Diego, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Diego, CA is pricier by about 142%, 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 $5,959 in San Diego, CA. 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 $3,324 in San Diego, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $99 in San Diego, 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 $3,973 in San Diego, CA. That makes Medellin about 59% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in San Diego, CA at $3,973. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Diego, 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 Diego, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.