Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santa Fe, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Santa Fe, NM

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Santa Fe, NM $2,868

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,964 in Santa Fe, NM, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Santa Fe, NM $3,964

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,059 in Santa Fe, NM, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Santa Fe, NM $5,059

Medellin is about 43% cheaper than Santa Fe, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Santa Fe, NM sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Santa Fe, NM by 111%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.79 $16.79

-51.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$67.2 $67.2

-29.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$10.05 $10.05

-5.47%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$5.13 $5.13

-41.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.84 $2.84

-36.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$2.34 $2.34

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$6.11 $6.11

-47.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$7.14 $7.14

-19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.94 $0.94

60.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.14 $3.14

-24.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$4.58 $4.58

-61.35%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.15 $4.15

-30.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.69 $11.69

-12.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$9.72 $9.72

1.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$17.05 $17.05

-17.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.71 $4.71

-15.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.48 $1.48

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.82 $3.82

-42.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.29 $4.29

-49.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$3.25 $3.25

-39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.05 $2.05

-22.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.00 $2.00

-42.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$2.43 $2.43

-48.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.72 $10.72

-63.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$16.16 $16.16

-15.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.12 $2.12

-21.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.71 $3.71

-39.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.02 $1.02

14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$19.97 $19.97

287.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.66 $3.66

-65.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.96 $1.96

4.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$32.25 $32.25

-73.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.02 $1.02

32.35%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$26.5K $26.5K

28.52%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$25.6K $25.6K

35.27%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$159 $159

6.68%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$45.35 $45.35

-70.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$73.4 $73.4

-61.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$69.7 $69.7

-37.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.16 $13.16

-47.49%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,344 $1,344

-40.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$15.5K $15.5K

-41.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$55.3 $55.3

53.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$42.87 $42.87

35.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$78.6 $78.6

71.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$119 $119

-17.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$2,172 $2,172

-44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,652 $1,652

-61.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,059 $3,059

-33.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,387 $2,387

-57.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$6,231 $6,231

-33.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,826 $3,826

-50.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,927 $3,927

-83.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.57

66.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 57.6% 157% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.3% 28.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Santa Fe, NM

$278 9.7% 31.5% $67

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Santa Fe, NM

$292 10.2% 71.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Santa Fe, NM

$133 4.6% 21.2% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Santa Fe, NM

$38 1.3% 59.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Santa Fe, NM

$96 3.4% 66.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,172 in Santa Fe, NM. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Santa Fe, NM are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $67 in Santa Fe, NM. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $381 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

87,505

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Santa Fe, NM 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santa Fe, NM

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 Santa Fe, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Fe, NM is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,303 in Santa Fe, NM. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,172 in Santa Fe, NM.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $67 in Santa Fe, NM. 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 $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM. That makes Medellin about 43% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Santa Fe, NM at $2,868. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Fe, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Fe, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.