Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Juan de Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,463 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
Learn more

San Juan de Pasto Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Juan de Pasto

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 Juan de Pasto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
San Juan de Pasto $1,463

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,144 in San Juan de Pasto, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
San Juan de Pasto $2,144

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,825 in San Juan de Pasto, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
San Juan de Pasto $2,825

Medellin costs about 16% more than San Juan de Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and San Juan de Pasto sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, San Juan de Pasto by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$8.83 COP 28.6K

-5.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.7K

$47.05 COP 152.4K

-1.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$10.50 COP 34.0K

-9.81%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.89 COP 9,377

8.30%

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

$1.77 COP 5,722

$1.42 COP 4,610

24.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,615

$1.21 COP 3,911

17.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.44 COP 11.1K

-8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.64 COP 11.8K

56.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,965

$1.61 COP 5,218

-4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,422

$2.39 COP 7,737

-4.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,301

$2.06 COP 6,675

-5.83%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,934

$3.46 COP 11.2K

-11.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$7.16 COP 23.2K

39.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.8K

$10.11 COP 32.8K

3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.2K

$11.84 COP 38.4K

17.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.75 COP 12.1K

8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,951

$1.37 COP 4,438

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,817

$1.71 COP 5,551

22.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.86 COP 6,029

23.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,833

$1.79 COP 5,812

17.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,537

$1.72 COP 5,584

-0.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,791

$1.03 COP 3,331

13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,119

$1.32 COP 4,267

19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$4.72 COP 15.3K

-17.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$12.60 COP 40.8K

11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,707

$1.27 COP 4,126

38.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,785

$2.61 COP 8,448

3.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,822

$1.11 COP 3,597

6.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.1K

$66.9 COP 216.7K

14.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,853

$1.63 COP 5,284

11.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,898

$2.09 COP 6,773

1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$7.85 COP 25.4K

3.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,131

$1.29 COP 4,172

-0.78%

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

$34.4K COP 111.6M

$39.0K COP 126.5M

-11.80%

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

$34.1K COP 110.6M

$33.3K COP 107.9M

2.49%

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

$178 COP 575.7K

$129 COP 416.9K

38.09%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$13.90 COP 45.0K

-0.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.6K

$30.01 COP 97.2K

2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.9K

$33.00 COP 106.9K

27.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.84 COP 25.4K

-4.72%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$581 COP 1.9M

36.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.8M

$13.9K COP 44.9M

-11.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.7K

$93.9 COP 304.2K

-8.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.0K

$49.34 COP 159.8K

20.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.2K

$122 COP 395.6K

13.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.1K

$94.9 COP 307.4K

4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$780 COP 2.5M

71.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$546 COP 1.8M

22.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,459 COP 4.7M

35.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$796 COP 2.6M

29.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,112 COP 6.8M

94.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,582 COP 5.1M

22.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.83%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3% 18.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19% 9.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8% 22.4% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8% 0.4% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1% 5.9% $10

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7% 10.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3% 14.4% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $780 in San Juan de Pasto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $47 in San Juan de Pasto. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $278 in San Juan de Pasto – so San Juan de Pasto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

392,930

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.09 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.09 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin San Juan de Pasto 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Juan de Pasto

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 Juan de Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,194 in San Juan de Pasto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan de Pasto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $780 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 12% less in San Juan de Pasto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan de Pasto – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.