Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Salvador

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in San Salvador: $1,639 and $1,629 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,629 in San Salvador, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Salvador $1,629

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,449 in San Salvador, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Salvador $2,449

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,269 in San Salvador, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Salvador $3,269

Medellin costs about 1% more than San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and San Salvador sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, San Salvador by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$6.58 $6.58

22.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$44.57 $44.57

5.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.06 $7.06

34.56%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.62 $3.62

-16.85%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.13 $1.13

59.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.79 $0.79

78.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.97 $1.97

61.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.50 $3.50

64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.79 $1.79

-15.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.91 $2.91

-18.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.37 $1.37

29.20%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.99 $2.99

-3.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.81 $7.81

30.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.92 $6.92

42.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.07 $10.07

38.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.93 $4.93

-19.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.42 $1.42

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.54 $2.54

-14.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.54 $3.54

-38.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.98 $2.98

-34.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.26 $3.26

-51.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.95 $0.95

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.93 $0.93

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.05 $4.05

-2.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.77 $11.77

16.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.28 $2.28

-27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.92 $2.92

-22.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.31 $0.31

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$14.77 $14.77

423.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.97 $5.97

-78.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.04 $3.04

-32.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$19.88 $19.88

-56.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.25 $1.25

8.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$25.5K $25.5K

33.78%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.7K $26.7K

29.76%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$129 $129

31.67%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$20.87 $20.87

-35.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$42.10 $42.10

-33.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$29.34 $29.34

48.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$21.36 $21.36

-19.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.13 $5.13

34.70%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$161 $161

395.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,729 $4,729

92.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$66.4 $66.4

27.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$47.50 $47.50

22.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$120 $120

12.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$117 $117

-16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$893 $893

35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$776 $776

-17.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,792 $1,792

13.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,366 $1,366

-25.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,817 $2,817

48.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,839 $1,839

3.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$376 $376

74.85%

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 Salvador: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Salvador

$776 47.7% 21% $135

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Salvador

$285 17.5% 4.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Salvador

$192 11.8% 9.2% $19

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Salvador

$142 8.7% 16.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Salvador

$158 9.7% 6.5% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Salvador

$37 2.3% 60.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Salvador

$40 2.4% 31.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $893 in San Salvador. 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 75% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $45 in San Salvador. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $285 – making San Salvador the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

316,090 Capital

💱 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 Salvador 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Salvador

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 1%, 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 $2,444 in San Salvador. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Salvador, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $893 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $45 in San Salvador. 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 $1,629 in San Salvador. That’s a gap of about 1%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,629 in San Salvador, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Salvador – 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 Salvador. 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.