Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San German

For one person, living is cheaper in San German: $1,332 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in San German
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San German Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

San German

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,332 in San German, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
San German $1,332

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,099 in San German, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
San German $2,099

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,865 in San German, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
San German $2,865

Medellin costs about 27% more than San German, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$19.74 $19.74

-57.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$82.9 $82.9

-43.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$9.34 $9.34

1.39%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.59 $3.59

-12.81%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.84 $1.84

-3.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.48 $1.48

-4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.08 $3.08

2.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.91 $4.91

16.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$2.23 $2.23

-31.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$3.54 $3.54

-35.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$2.36 $2.36

-17.80%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$7.79 $7.79

-60.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$12.58 $12.58

-20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$9.45 $9.45

10.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$13.36 $13.36

4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.91 $4.91

-17.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$2.67 $2.67

-42.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$4.73 $4.73

-55.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$4.95 $4.95

-53.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$3.68 $3.68

-42.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$3.93 $3.93

-56.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$3.50 $3.50

-66.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.58 $1.58

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$12.06 $12.06

-67.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$15.76 $15.76

-10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$2.98 $2.98

-40.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$4.12 $4.12

-34.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$2.51 $2.51

-27.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.54 $1.54

38.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$42.58 $42.58

-80.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.20 $1.20

6.67%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$34.5K $34.5K

-0.19%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$27.5K $27.5K

24.11%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$326 $326

-45.51%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$70.1 $70.1

-80.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$69.7 $69.7

-55.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$10.66 $10.66

-29.92%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$809 $809

-2.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$12.1K $12.1K

1.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$55.1 $55.1

56.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$62.1 $62.1

-4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$108 $108

28.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$115 $115

-13.89%

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 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,744 $2,744

-76.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for San German: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

San German

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

San German

$414 31.1% 34.7% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

San German

$466 35% 110% $244

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

San German

$268 20.1% 55% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

San German

$153 11.5% 11.2% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

San German

$10 * 0.8% 89.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

San German

$21 * 1.6% 62.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in San German are about 4.2 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 $83 in San German. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $414 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 San German

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

10:40 10:40 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

35,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin San German 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San German

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 German: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 27%, 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 $1,998 in San German. 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 $83 in San German. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,332 in San German, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,332 in San German to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.