Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santa Fe

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Fe: $1,077 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe
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Santa Fe Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,077 in Santa Fe, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Santa Fe $1,077

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,662 in Santa Fe, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Santa Fe $1,662

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,247 in Santa Fe, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Santa Fe $2,247

Medellin costs about 52% more than Santa Fe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Santa Fe is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.16 ARS 15.6K

-20.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

23.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$12.35 ARS 19.0K

-23.08%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.72 ARS 2,644

75.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.48 ARS 2,274

21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.34 ARS 2,054

5.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.47 ARS 5,337

-8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.03 ARS 7,738

14.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.01 ARS 1,561

49.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.56 ARS 2,399

52.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.02 ARS 1,575

73.53%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.54 ARS 2,375

87.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.17 ARS 12.6K

24.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.04 ARS 9,287

63.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.32 ARS 15.9K

35.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.00 ARS 3,073

98.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.51 ARS 2,325

2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.87 ARS 1,344

150.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.51 ARS 3,854

-13.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.58 ARS 895

237.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.68 ARS 1,047

133.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.06 ARS 1,631

8.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.07 ARS 1,644

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.17 ARS 4,875

24.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$4.84 ARS 7,440

182.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.26 ARS 1,940

31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.13 ARS 3,280

6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.07 ARS 1,640

9.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.98 ARS 1,505

29.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.98 ARS 1,509

109.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.15 ARS 1,770

17.39%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.8K ARS 30.5M

71.95%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.7K ARS 45.7M

16.63%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$59.6 ARS 91.7K

184.70%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$19.80 ARS 30.5K

-31.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$21.28 ARS 32.7K

31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$33.94 ARS 52.2K

28.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$19.38 ARS 29.8K

-11.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.91 ARS 7,550

40.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$260 ARS 400.2K

206.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,522 ARS 7.0M

101.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$86.8 ARS 133.6K

-2.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

-4.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$115 ARS 176.2K

17.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$142 ARS 218.3K

-31.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$505 ARS 776.9K

139.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$365 ARS 561.9K

75.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$936 ARS 1.4M

116.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$595 ARS 915.2K

70.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,271 ARS 2.0M

50.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$854 ARS 1.3M

-23.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

100

-89.06%

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: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Santa Fe

$365 33.9% 43.1% $276

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Santa Fe

$197 18.3% 33.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Santa Fe

$101 9.4% 52.4% $111

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Santa Fe

$178 16.5% 4.7% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Santa Fe

$182 16.9% 7.7% $13

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9% 89.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Santa Fe

$44 4.1% 24% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $505 in Santa Fe. 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 30% higher in Santa Fe, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in Santa Fe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $197 – making Santa Fe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

391,164

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Santa Fe 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santa Fe

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,615 in Santa Fe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Fe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in Santa Fe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,077 in Santa Fe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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