Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Vicente

For one person, living is cheaper in San Vicente: $815 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in San Vicente
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San Vicente Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

San Vicente

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $815 in San Vicente, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
San Vicente $815

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,310 in San Vicente, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
San Vicente $1,310

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,806 in San Vicente, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
San Vicente $1,806

Medellin costs about 108% more than San Vicente, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while San Vicente is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$6.87 $6.87

21.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$45.20 $45.20

2.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$6.89 $6.89

37.45%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.61 $3.61

-13.30%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.17 $1.17

51.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.80 $0.80

77.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.06 $2.06

52.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.59 $3.59

58.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.89 $1.89

-19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.79 $2.79

-17.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.39 $1.39

39.57%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$3.07 $3.07

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.54 $7.54

32.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$7.08 $7.08

47.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$10.42 $10.42

33.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.02 $5.02

-19.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.43 $1.43

6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$2.55 $2.55

-17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$3.35 $3.35

-31.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$2.89 $2.89

-26.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$3.38 $3.38

-49.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.95 $0.95

23.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.00 $1.00

58.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.98 $3.98

-1.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$12.03 $12.03

16.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$2.28 $2.28

-22.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.95 $2.95

-8.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$6.04 $6.04

-70.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$2.94 $2.94

-27.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$19.70 $19.70

-58.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.25 $1.25

2.40%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$25.5K $25.5K

35.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$27.5K $27.5K

23.96%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$132 $132

34.98%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$21.65 $21.65

-35.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$42.85 $42.85

-28.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$5.04 $5.04

48.21%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$165 $165

378.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,759 $4,759

158.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$67.6 $67.6

27.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$46.84 $46.84

26.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$118 $118

17.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$116 $116

-15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Vicente: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

San Vicente

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

San Vicente

$287 35.2% 6.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

San Vicente

$196 24.1% 11.8% $26

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

San Vicente

$144 17.7% 16.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

San Vicente

$157 19.2% 9% $15

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

San Vicente

$21 * 2.5% 77.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

San Vicente

$10 * 1.2% 82.3% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $45 in San Vicente. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $287 – making San Vicente the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 San Vicente

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

41,504

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin San Vicente 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Vicente

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 Vicente: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 108%, 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 $1,223 in San Vicente. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $45 in San Vicente. 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.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in San Vicente, where all-in costs run around $815, than in Medellin at $1,692. In San Vicente it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $815 in San Vicente to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.