Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Miguel

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel: $1,317 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
63

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel
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San Miguel Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Miguel

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,317 in San Miguel, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Miguel $1,317

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,946 in San Miguel, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Miguel $1,946

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,575 in San Miguel, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Miguel $2,575

Medellin costs about 24% more than San Miguel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Miguel is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.98 $3.98

103.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$24.56 $24.56

91.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.75 $6.75

40.74%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.08 $3.08

-2.27%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.76 $0.76

136.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.59 $0.59

138.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.96 $1.96

62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.59 $3.59

60.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.86 $1.86

-18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.81 $2.81

-15.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.38 $1.38

28.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.06 $3.06

-5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.91 $7.91

28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.05 $7.05

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.15 $10.15

37.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.02 $5.02

-20.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.38 $1.38

12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.56 $2.56

-14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.54 $3.54

-38.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.99 $2.99

-34.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.25 $3.25

-51.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.95 $0.95

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.98 $0.98

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.93 $3.93

0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$12.21 $12.21

12.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.29 $2.29

-27.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.94 $2.94

-23.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.33 $0.33

254.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$27.10 $27.10

185.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$6.18 $6.18

-79.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.92 $2.92

-29.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.02 $10.02

-14.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.30 $1.30

3.85%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$25.0K $25.0K

36.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.2K $27.2K

27.60%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$128 $128

32.17%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$19.90 $19.90

-31.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$24.90 $24.90

12.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$28.30 $28.30

54.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$21.76 $21.76

-21.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.04 $5.04

37.10%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$165 $165

381.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,340 $4,340

109.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$65.5 $65.5

29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$46.48 $46.48

24.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$120 $120

12.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$115 $115

-15.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$701 $701

72.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$501 $501

28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$980 $980

106.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$832 $832

21.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,377 $1,377

202.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$944 $944

102.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$382 $382

71.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.5

28.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Miguel: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Miguel

$501 38% 21.9% $141

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Miguel

$288 21.9% 3.1% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Miguel

$173 13.2% 18% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Miguel

$111 8.5% 34.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Miguel

$156 11.9% 7.6% $13

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Miguel

$49 3.7% 47.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Miguel

$38 2.9% 33.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $701 in San Miguel. 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 72% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $25 in San Miguel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $288 – making San Miguel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 San Miguel

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

247,126

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Miguel 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Miguel

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 Miguel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, 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 $1,976 in San Miguel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Miguel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $701 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $25 in San Miguel. 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 $1,317 in San Miguel. That’s a gap of about 24%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,317 in San Miguel, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Miguel – 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 Miguel. 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.