Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Pedro de Atacama

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama: $1,076 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Pedro de Atacama

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,076 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
San Pedro de Atacama $1,076

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,633 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
San Pedro de Atacama $1,633

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,191 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
San Pedro de Atacama $2,191

Medellin costs about 51% more than San Pedro de Atacama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Pedro de Atacama is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$7.25 CLP 7,135

14.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$44.15 CLP 43.5K

6.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.21 CLP 8,083

12.55%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.81 CLP 2,771

8.54%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.58 CLP 1,554

13.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.22 CLP 1,197

13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.59 CLP 3,539

-9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.02 CLP 3,956

38.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.23 CLP 1,211

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.46 CLP 1,441

62.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.70 CLP 1,674

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.70 CLP 3,642

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.31 CLP 10.2K

-0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.84 CLP 6,733

42.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.47 CLP 11.3K

21.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.96 CLP 1,929

110.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.61 CLP 1,589

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.75 CLP 1,723

26.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.68 CLP 1,658

35.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.64 CLP 1,619

21.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.54 CLP 1,518

8.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.35 CLP 1,329

-12.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.18 CLP 1,165

5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.06 CLP 4,986

-23.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.17 CLP 5,092

166.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.54 CLP 1,516

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.25 CLP 2,218

6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.61 CLP 601

103.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.71 CLP 700

80.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.43 CLP 1,403

-5.59%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$17.7K CLP 17.4M

96.30%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$19.1K CLP 18.8M

81.21%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$132 CLP 130.3K

25.87%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$13.60 CLP 13.4K

0.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$21.89 CLP 21.6K

33.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$37.84 CLP 37.3K

19.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$22.99 CLP 22.6K

-25.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.31 CLP 5,226

31.26%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$385 CLP 379.4K

105.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$8,576 CLP 8.4M

5.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$47.73 CLP 47.0K

83.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$24.86 CLP 24.5K

133.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$62.4 CLP 61.4K

122.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$81.9 CLP 80.6K

20.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$485 CLP 477.4K

112.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$372 CLP 366.2K

66.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$904 CLP 889.7K

108.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$598 CLP 588.4K

68.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,312 CLP 2.3M

72.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.01

118.36%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

San Pedro de Atacama

$372 34.6% 40% $247

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

San Pedro de Atacama

$233 21.7% 21.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

San Pedro de Atacama

$168 15.6% 19.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

San Pedro de Atacama

$98 9.1% 43.5% $75

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

San Pedro de Atacama

$154 14.3% 10.1% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

San Pedro de Atacama

$3.2 * 0.3% 96.7% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

San Pedro de Atacama

$48 4.5% 17.9% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $485 in San Pedro de Atacama. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $44.00 in San Pedro de Atacama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $233 – making San Pedro de Atacama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,347

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Pedro de Atacama 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Pedro de Atacama

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 Pedro de Atacama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,614 in San Pedro de Atacama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $44.00 in San Pedro de Atacama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 Pedro de Atacama, where all-in costs run around $1,076, than in Medellin at $1,625. In San Pedro de Atacama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Pedro de Atacama – 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 Pedro de Atacama. 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.