Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Rafael, Argentina

Name: San Rafael
Address: San Rafael, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,353 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,353 in San Rafael, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
San Rafael $1,353

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,224 in San Rafael, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
San Rafael $2,224

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,096 in San Rafael, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
San Rafael $3,096

Medellin costs about 25% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$11.01 ARS 17.0K

-24.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$50.9 ARS 78.7K

-8.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$14.49 ARS 22.4K

-34.64%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.44 ARS 6,857

-29.50%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$2.43 ARS 3,760

-27.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$1.90 ARS 2,932

-25.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.89 ARS 6,015

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.38 ARS 6,768

30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$1.39 ARS 2,148

10.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$2.19 ARS 3,376

4.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$2.78 ARS 4,297

-30.22%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$3.19 ARS 4,921

-3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$14.27 ARS 22.1K

-29.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.11 ARS 9,446

71.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$11.04 ARS 17.1K

26.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.36 ARS 3,639

71.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$2.23 ARS 3,447

-31.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$1.37 ARS 2,109

53.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$3.33 ARS 5,149

-31.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$2.03 ARS 3,129

3.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$1.52 ARS 2,352

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$2.00 ARS 3,092

-41.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$2.57 ARS 3,967

-38.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.68 ARS 4,138

45.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$5.07 ARS 7,838

176.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$1.80 ARS 2,785

-2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

$3.07 ARS 4,740

-11.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

$0.98 ARS 1,508

20.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$2.01 ARS 3,105

-9.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

$1.03 ARS 1,584

106.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$4.93 ARS 7,610

64.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$1.22 ARS 1,880

4.92%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$27.4K ARS 42.3M

25.91%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$32.4K ARS 50.0M

5.46%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$146 ARS 226.0K

21.52%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$17.25 ARS 26.7K

-19.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$23.80 ARS 36.8K

29.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$31.51 ARS 48.7K

33.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

-20.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.25 ARS 11.2K

3.03%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$174 ARS 268.8K

354.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,125 ARS 6.4M

198.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$125 ARS 193.3K

-30.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$142 ARS 219.9K

-58.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$141 ARS 218.5K

-2.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$158 ARS 243.8K

-37.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$511 ARS 788.8K

162.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$336 ARS 519.9K

98.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,049 ARS 1.6M

88.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$825 ARS 1.3M

25.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,272 ARS 2.0M

52.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 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: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

San Rafael

$336 24.9% 49.6% $331

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

San Rafael

$287 21.2% 6.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

San Rafael

$187 13.9% 15.8% $35

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

San Rafael

$230 17% 33.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

San Rafael

$255 18.9% 48.1% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

San Rafael

$11 * 0.8% 88.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

San Rafael

$46 3.4% 19.1% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $511 in San Rafael. 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 $51 in San Rafael. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $287 in San Rafael – so San Rafael wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

118,850

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Rafael 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,029 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $51 in San Rafael. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,353 in San Rafael. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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