Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Marcos, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,351 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
113

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
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San Marcos, TX Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Marcos, TX

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,351 in San Marcos, TX, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
San Marcos, TX $2,351

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,531 in San Marcos, TX, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
San Marcos, TX $3,531

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $4,711 in San Marcos, TX, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
San Marcos, TX $4,711

Medellin is about 28% cheaper than San Marcos, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and San Marcos, TX sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, San Marcos, TX by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$15.30 $15.30

-45.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$59.8 $59.8

-22.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$12.07 $12.07

-21.54%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$4.61 $4.61

-32.10%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$2.81 $2.81

-37.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.73 $1.73

-17.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$4.95 $4.95

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$5.95 $5.95

-4.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$0.74 $0.74

106.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$3.14 $3.14

-27.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$3.92 $3.92

-50.51%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.88 $2.88

6.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$9.63 $9.63

3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$9.37 $9.37

11.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$13.34 $13.34

4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.18 $6.18

-34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.18 $1.18

29.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$6.49 $6.49

-67.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$4.73 $4.73

-51.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$4.07 $4.07

-48.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$2.89 $2.89

-40.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$1.84 $1.84

-36.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.78 $1.78

-11.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$8.73 $8.73

-55.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$14.24 $14.24

-1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.68 $1.68

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$3.80 $3.80

-28.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$4.52 $4.52

-59.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.85 $1.85

15.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$59.8 $59.8

-86.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$0.80 $0.80

60.00%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$27.2K $27.2K

26.41%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$26.0K $26.0K

31.50%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$138 $138

28.80%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$39.29 $39.29

-64.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$57.1 $57.1

-46.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$69.4 $69.4

-39.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$11.17 $11.17

-33.12%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$675 $675

16.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$10.7K $10.7K

14.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$59.8 $59.8

44.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$38.18 $38.18

55.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$84.5 $84.5

63.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$119 $119

-17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,336 $1,336

0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,246 $1,246

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,884 $2,884

-31.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,263 $2,263

-54.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,443 $2,443

67.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,902 $1,902

1.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,140 $3,140

-79.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.45

69.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Marcos, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

San Marcos, TX

$1.2K 53% 86.7% $578

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

San Marcos, TX

$361 15.3% 17.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

San Marcos, TX

$234 10% 5.4% $12

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

San Marcos, TX

$269 11.4% 55.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8% 21.2% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6% 85.3% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9% 61.3% $35

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 $1,336 in San Marcos, TX. 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 Marcos, TX are about 4.9 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 Marcos, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $361 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

44,894

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Marcos, TX 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Marcos, TX

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 Marcos, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Marcos, TX is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,526 in San Marcos, TX. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,341 in Medellin and $1,336 in San Marcos, TX. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $60 in San Marcos, TX. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in San Marcos, TX, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $2,351 in San Marcos, TX. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Marcos, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.