Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Luis Obispo, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,315 in San Luis Obispo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
161

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Obispo, CA
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San Luis Obispo, CA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Luis Obispo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,315 in San Luis Obispo, CA, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Luis Obispo, CA $3,315

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,816 in San Luis Obispo, CA, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Luis Obispo, CA $4,816

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $6,317 in San Luis Obispo, CA, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Luis Obispo, CA $6,317

Medellin is about 51% cheaper than San Luis Obispo, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and San Luis Obispo, CA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, San Luis Obispo, CA by 144%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$23.68 $23.68

-65.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$60.1 $60.1

-21.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$12.82 $12.82

-25.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$6.37 $6.37

-52.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.85 $2.85

-36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.50 $2.50

-43.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$8.09 $8.09

-60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$7.91 $7.91

-27.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.16 $1.16

30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$4.46 $4.46

-46.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$5.40 $5.40

-67.22%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$4.65 $4.65

-37.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.61 $15.61

-34.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.89 $8.89

11.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$15.50 $15.50

-9.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.81 $3.81

4.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.99 $1.99

-22.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$3.27 $3.27

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.25 $3.25

-32.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.90 $2.90

-32.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.81 $2.81

-43.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.16 $2.16

-46.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$2.04 $2.04

-39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$11.65 $11.65

-66.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$17.25 $17.25

-20.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.84 $1.84

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.15 $3.15

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.73 $1.73

-32.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$59.2 $59.2

30.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$6.52 $6.52

-80.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.75 $2.75

-25.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$37.93 $37.93

-77.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.44 $1.44

-6.25%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$30.9K $30.9K

10.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.2K $26.2K

32.36%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$251 $251

-32.40%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$54.0 $54.0

-74.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$67.9 $67.9

-58.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$32.67 $32.67

33.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$49.73 $49.73

-65.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.28 $12.28

-43.73%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$2,312 $2,312

-65.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$33.6K $33.6K

-72.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$65.9 $65.9

28.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$49.81 $49.81

16.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$108 $108

24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$99.7 $99.7

-1.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$2,431 $2,431

-50.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,879 $1,879

-65.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$4,313 $4,313

-52.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$3,264 $3,264

-69.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$7,432 $7,432

-43.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,995 $5,995

-68.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$5,519 $5,519

-88.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.26

74.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Luis Obispo, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Luis Obispo, CA

$1.9K 56.7% 193% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Luis Obispo, CA

$392 11.8% 32% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Luis Obispo, CA

$373 11.3% 76.5% $162

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Luis Obispo, CA

$382 11.5% 125% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Luis Obispo, CA

$146 4.4% 13.8% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Luis Obispo, CA

$86 2.6% 7.6% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Luis Obispo, CA

$57 1.7% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,431 in San Luis Obispo, 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 Luis Obispo, CA are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $60 in San Luis Obispo, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $392 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 San Luis Obispo, CA

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

3 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

47,339

💱 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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Medellin San Luis Obispo, CA 5,610 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Luis Obispo, CA is pricier by about 102%, 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 $4,972 in San Luis Obispo, 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 $2,431 in San Luis Obispo, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $60 in San Luis Obispo, 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 $3,315 in San Luis Obispo, CA. That makes Medellin about 51% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in San Luis Obispo, CA at $3,315. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Luis Obispo, 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 Luis Obispo, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.