Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $749 in San Juan, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
San Juan $749

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,101 in San Juan, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
San Juan $1,101

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,452 in San Juan, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
San Juan $1,452

Medellin costs about 115% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Juan is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$4.05 ₱255

95.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$16.88 ₱1,063

173.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.82 ₱177

236.88%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.76 ₱174

12.68%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.66 ₱41.30

177.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.31 ₱19.48

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.07 ₱67.2

185.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.56 ₱98.5

252.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.69 ₱107

-14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.12 ₱70.5

110.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.84 ₱52.7

100.00%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.82 ₱114

57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$5.24 ₱330

94.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$3.46 ₱218

175.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.21 ₱454

94.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.32 ₱146

75.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.36 ₱85.9

10.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.33 ₱147

-6.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.06 ₱66.8

117.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.69 ₱107

14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.74 ₱109

-5.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.67 ₱42.17

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.97 ₱61.3

28.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.71 ₱171

47.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.79 ₱490

71.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.92 ₱58.0

84.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.84 ₱116

28.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.26 ₱16.26

365.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$12.14 ₱764

530.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.79 ₱49.71

67.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.23 ₱14.52

830.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$1.95 ₱123

334.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.24 ₱77.8

4.84%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

33.44%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

86.76%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$141 ₱8,877

22.06%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.25 ₱897

-6.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$24.38 ₱1,535

17.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$30.07 ₱1,893

50.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$4.41 ₱278

286.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.07 ₱319

23.87%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$74.3 ₱4,677

936.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,556 ₱160.9K

252.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$29.32 ₱1,846

194.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$19.71 ₱1,241

189.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$72.1 ₱4,539

89.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$56.8 ₱3,573

72.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$303 ₱19.1K

247.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$173 ₱10.9K

255.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$515 ₱32.4K

267.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$302 ₱19.0K

239.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,681 ₱168.8K

51.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,115 ₱70.2K

50.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$243 ₱15.3K

167.99%

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 12, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

San Juan

$173 23.1% 71.9% $442

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

San Juan

$175 23.3% 40.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

San Juan

$180 24% 16.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

San Juan

$80 10.7% 52.9% $90

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

San Juan

$86 11.5% 48.7% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

San Juan

$15 2% 83.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

San Juan

$40 5.4% 30.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $303 in San Juan. 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 168% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $17.00 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $175 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

04:24 4:24 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

126,347

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Juan 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Juan

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,124 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $17.00 in San Juan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $749 in San Juan. That's a gap of about 115%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Medellin at $1,614. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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