Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Martin de los Andes

For one person, living is cheaper in San Martin de los Andes: $1,264 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
61

Cost of Living Index in San Martin de los Andes
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San Martin de los Andes Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Martin de los Andes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Martin de los Andes

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 Martin de los Andes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Martin de los Andes $1,264

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,136 in San Martin de los Andes, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Martin de los Andes $2,136

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,007 in San Martin de los Andes, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Martin de los Andes $3,007

Medellin costs about 30% more than San Martin de los Andes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Martin de los Andes is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$18.03 ARS 27.8K

-55.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$57.1 ARS 88.1K

-17.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$13.84 ARS 21.3K

-31.36%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.30 ARS 5,091

-8.79%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.97 ARS 3,041

-8.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$2.02 ARS 3,122

-30.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.44 ARS 5,309

-7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.66 ARS 7,191

23.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.42 ARS 2,183

6.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$2.37 ARS 3,656

0.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.98 ARS 3,048

-10.61%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.92 ARS 4,506

-1.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$10.62 ARS 16.4K

-4.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$7.95 ARS 12.3K

24.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.95 ARS 15.3K

40.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.13 ARS 3,291

86.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$2.31 ARS 3,568

-32.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.49 ARS 2,296

46.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$2.48 ARS 3,815

-12.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.17 ARS 1,797

67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.11 ARS 1,706

43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.44 ARS 2,220

-13.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.44 ARS 5,303

15.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$5.39 ARS 8,314

153.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.13 ARS 3,279

-22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$3.03 ARS 4,670

-25.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.93 ARS 1,433

25.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.58 ARS 2,429

-19.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.22 ARS 1,876

10.66%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

23.98%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$30.9K ARS 47.7M

12.03%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$134 ARS 206.8K

26.45%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$15.99 ARS 24.7K

-15.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$27.53 ARS 42.4K

1.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$31.26 ARS 48.2K

39.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$19.28 ARS 29.7K

-10.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$8.74 ARS 13.5K

-20.94%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$239 ARS 368.6K

233.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

119.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$106 ARS 163.7K

-20.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$85.5 ARS 131.8K

-32.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$126 ARS 194.9K

6.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$130 ARS 200.6K

-24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$465 ARS 717.2K

159.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$311 ARS 479.0K

106.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

101.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$823 ARS 1.3M

22.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,249 ARS 1.9M

52.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Martin de los Andes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Martin de los Andes

$311 24.6% 51.6% $331

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Martin de los Andes

$252 * 20% 15% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Martin de los Andes

$178 14.1% 15.9% $34

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Martin de los Andes

$268 21.2% 58% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Martin de los Andes

$202 16% 19.4% $33

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Martin de los Andes

$5.3 * 0.4% 94.3% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Martin de los Andes

$49 3.9% 15.3% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $465 in San Martin de los Andes. 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 $47 in Medellin versus $57 in San Martin de los Andes. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $252 in San Martin de los Andes – so San Martin de los Andes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 San Martin de los Andes

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

36,913

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,541 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,716 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin San Martin de los Andes 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Martin de los Andes

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 Martin de los Andes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,897 in San Martin de los Andes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Martin de los Andes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $465 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $57 in San Martin de los Andes. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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