Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis: $1,175 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
56

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
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San Luis Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,175

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,175 in San Luis, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
San Luis $1,175

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,962 in San Luis, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
San Luis $1,962

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,749 in San Luis, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
San Luis $2,749

Medellin costs about 37% more than San Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Luis is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$8.42 ARS 12.8K

-5.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.1K

$50.1 ARS 76.0K

-7.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$8.72 ARS 13.2K

8.94%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,920

$2.10 ARS 3,180

48.10%

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

$1.83 COP 5,832

$2.36 ARS 3,585

-22.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,384

$1.88 ARS 2,852

-26.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,725

$3.25 ARS 4,926

-6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$4.54 ARS 6,881

21.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,625

$1.23 ARS 1,863

17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,537

$2.04 ARS 3,090

15.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,358

$1.06 ARS 1,602

58.49%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,127

$3.05 ARS 4,623

-6.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

-30.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$6.40 ARS 9,702

48.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$11.02 ARS 16.7K

27.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$2.34 ARS 3,552

73.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,768

$2.14 ARS 3,244

-29.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,929

$1.35 ARS 2,045

60.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,350

$3.18 ARS 4,825

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,147

$0.98 ARS 1,484

96.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,224

$1.45 ARS 2,197

13.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,590

$1.93 ARS 2,933

-41.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,976

$2.44 ARS 3,697

-48.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$2.81 ARS 4,254

41.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$5.11 ARS 7,749

161.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,413

$1.70 ARS 2,581

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,566

$2.98 ARS 4,514

-20.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,848

$0.63 ARS 949

92.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,202

$0.66 ARS 1,003

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,811

$1.02 ARS 1,550

109.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$4.75 ARS 7,210

78.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,137

$1.21 ARS 1,838

7.44%

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

$28.0K COP 89.2M

$27.3K ARS 41.3M

2.68%

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

$35.4K COP 112.9M

$33.4K ARS 50.6M

6.07%

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

$172 COP 548.6K

$39.37 ARS 59.7K

337.11%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$16.91 ARS 25.6K

-20.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.6K

$24.67 ARS 37.4K

16.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.2K

$33.15 ARS 50.3K

36.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$5.46 ARS 8,274

15.02%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$176 ARS 266.4K

338.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$4,167 ARS 6.3M

116.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.5K

$126 ARS 191.6K

-31.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.1K

$142 ARS 215.1K

-59.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.3K

$144 ARS 218.5K

-5.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.1K

$161 ARS 243.7K

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$446 ARS 676.9K

136.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$351 ARS 532.6K

75.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,077 ARS 1.6M

75.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$781 ARS 1.2M

30.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-81.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Luis: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

San Luis

$351 29.9% 43% $265

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

San Luis

$272 23.1% 7.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

San Luis

$81 6.9% 62.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

San Luis

$258 21.9% 51.6% $88

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

San Luis

$161 13.7% 4.4% $7.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

San Luis

$8.3 * 0.7% 91.1% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

San Luis

$44 3.8% 23.8% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $446 in San Luis. 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $50.0 in San Luis. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $272 in San Luis – so San Luis wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 San Luis

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

204,019

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,559 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Luis 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Luis

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,762 in San Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis, 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 $50.0 in San Luis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Luis, where all-in costs run around $1,175, than in Medellin at $1,614. In San Luis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Luis. 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.