Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,038 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Juan del Sur

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,038 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
San Juan del Sur $1,038

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,655 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
San Juan del Sur $1,655

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,272 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
San Juan del Sur $2,272

Medellin costs about 63% more than San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while San Juan del Sur is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$4.26 NIO 156

95.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$34.05 NIO 1,247

36.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$5.49 NIO 201

72.50%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.53 NIO 92.7

23.72%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$0.89 NIO 32.60

98.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$0.69 NIO 25.12

105.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.47 NIO 53.8

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.19 NIO 80.2

160.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.20 NIO 43.77

27.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$1.47 NIO 54.0

55.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$1.17 NIO 42.71

65.81%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$2.39 NIO 87.5

28.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.67 NIO 281

30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.16 NIO 226

69.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.83 NIO 287

78.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.97 NIO 145

2.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$0.61 NIO 22.36

150.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$1.78 NIO 65.0

17.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$2.36 NIO 86.3

-2.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$3.11 NIO 114

-32.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$1.10 NIO 40.34

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$1.00 NIO 36.73

58.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.69 NIO 98.4

45.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$9.68 NIO 354

45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$1.42 NIO 52.2

23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$2.19 NIO 80.3

23.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$1.67 NIO 61.2

8.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$1.59 NIO 58.2

33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$6.97 NIO 255

16.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$1.36 NIO 49.66

-5.88%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$22.9K NIO 840.2K

50.13%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$25.9K NIO 948.6K

31.79%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$59.3 NIO 2,170

199.97%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$10.65 NIO 390

30.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$32.81 NIO 1,202

-6.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$30.17 NIO 1,105

39.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$8.90 NIO 326

-16.07%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$235 NIO 8,592

236.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,163 NIO 225.7K

99.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$60.5 NIO 2,215

42.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$64.2 NIO 2,350

-7.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$123 NIO 4,502

12.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$145 NIO 5,298

-31.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$426 NIO 15.6K

214.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$380 NIO 13.9K

75.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$916 NIO 33.5K

115.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$776 NIO 28.4K

33.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$351 NIO 12.8K

84.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.92

-8.22%

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 del Sur: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

San Juan del Sur

$380 36.6% 43% $287

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

San Juan del Sur

$222 21.4% 27.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

San Juan del Sur

$103 9.9% 53.8% $120

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.5% 42.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

San Juan del Sur

$177 17% 2.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

San Juan del Sur

$9.6 * 0.9% 89.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

San Juan del Sur

$48 4.6% 15.7% $8.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $426 in San Juan del Sur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 84% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $34 in San Juan del Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $222 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,741

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.93 NIO (100 NIO = 2.44 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Juan del Sur 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Juan del Sur

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 del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 63%, 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 $1,557 in San Juan del Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan del Sur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in San Juan del Sur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,038 in San Juan del Sur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan del Sur – 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 San Juan del Sur. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.