Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Salvador de Jujuy

For one person, living is cheaper in San Salvador de Jujuy: $1,215 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
San Salvador de Jujuy
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,215
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Salvador de Jujuy

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 Salvador de Jujuy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,215 in San Salvador de Jujuy, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • San Salvador de Jujuy $1,215

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,920 in San Salvador de Jujuy, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • San Salvador de Jujuy $1,920

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,625 in San Salvador de Jujuy, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • San Salvador de Jujuy $2,625

Medellin costs about 33% more than San Salvador de Jujuy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Salvador de Jujuy is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.3K
$16.30 ARS 24.7K
-51.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 147.1K
$57.5 ARS 87.2K
-19.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.3K
$13.09 ARS 19.9K
-27.43%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,920
$3.69 ARS 5,595
-15.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,832
$2.21 ARS 3,359
-17.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,384
$1.88 ARS 2,847
-26.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,725
$3.88 ARS 5,877
-21.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.5K
$4.07 ARS 6,176
35.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,625
$1.39 ARS 2,100
4.32%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,537
$2.21 ARS 3,357
6.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,358
$1.90 ARS 2,875
-11.58%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,127
$2.54 ARS 3,857
12.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.5K
$10.26 ARS 15.6K
-0.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.4K
$7.29 ARS 11.1K
30.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.8K
$12.01 ARS 18.2K
16.90%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 13.0K
$2.40 ARS 3,637
69.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,768
$2.27 ARS 3,446
-33.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,929
$1.43 ARS 2,164
51.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,350
$2.31 ARS 3,505
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,147
$1.12 ARS 1,693
72.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,224
$1.10 ARS 1,667
49.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,590
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,976
$1.81 ARS 2,746
-30.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.7K
$3.45 ARS 5,227
15.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.6K
$4.90 ARS 7,425
172.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,413
$2.18 ARS 3,312
-22.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,566
$2.92 ARS 4,425
-18.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,848
$1.00 ARS 1,512
21.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 243.9K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,202
$1.56 ARS 2,369
-15.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,811
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 27.0K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,137
$1.18 ARS 1,787
10.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 89.2M
$28.7K ARS 43.5M
-2.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.9M
$29.9K ARS 45.3M
18.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 548.6K
$113 ARS 171.0K
52.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.6K
$17.09 ARS 25.9K
-21.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.6K
$28.26 ARS 42.9K
1.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 144.2K
$31.10 ARS 47.2K
45.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.3K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 20.0K
$9.42 ARS 14.3K
-33.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.5M
$300 ARS 454.3K
157.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.7M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 275.5K
$103 ARS 156.7K
-16.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 182.1K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 435.3K
$118 ARS 179.1K
15.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 312.1K
$138 ARS 209.2K
-29.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.4M
$502 ARS 761.3K
110.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$328 ARS 497.5K
87.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$957 ARS 1.5M
97.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.3M
$584 ARS 886.2K
75.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.4M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$590 ARS 895.0K
10.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
0
-

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Salvador de Jujuy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
San Salvador de Jujuy
$328 46.7% $288
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
San Salvador de Jujuy
$254 * 13.9% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
San Salvador de Jujuy
$158 26.2% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
San Salvador de Jujuy
$162 * 4.9% $8.4
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
San Salvador de Jujuy
$258 53.1% $89
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
San Salvador de Jujuy
$5.6 * 94.1% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
San Salvador de Jujuy
$50 13.6% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $502 in San Salvador de Jujuy. 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 11% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $58.0 in San Salvador de Jujuy. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $254 in San Salvador de Jujuy – so San Salvador de Jujuy wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇷 San Salvador de Jujuy
🕒 Local time
12:10 12:10 PM
14:10 2:10 PM
2 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
231,229
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,559 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin San Salvador de Jujuy 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • San Salvador de Jujuy

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 Salvador de Jujuy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Salvador de Jujuy cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,822 in San Salvador de Jujuy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Salvador de Jujuy, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in San Salvador de Jujuy?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $58.0 in San Salvador de Jujuy. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in San Salvador de Jujuy?
Groceries cost about 16% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in San Salvador de Jujuy?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Salvador de Jujuy, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Medellin at $1,614. In San Salvador de Jujuy it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or San Salvador de Jujuy more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward San Salvador de Jujuy – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or San Salvador de Jujuy?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with San Salvador de Jujuy. 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.

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