Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santa Isabel

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Isabel: $1,298 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
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Santa Isabel Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Santa Isabel $1,298

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,045 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Santa Isabel $2,045

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,791 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Santa Isabel $2,791

Medellin costs about 30% more than Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Santa Isabel is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$19.18 $19.18

-56.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$82.6 $82.6

-43.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$9.06 $9.06

4.53%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.61 $3.61

-13.30%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.89 $1.89

-6.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.51 $1.51

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.02 $3.02

4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$5.07 $5.07

12.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.31 $1.31

16.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$3.40 $3.40

-32.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$2.42 $2.42

-19.83%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$6.21 $6.21

-50.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$12.41 $12.41

-19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$9.82 $9.82

6.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$13.10 $13.10

6.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.01 $5.01

-19.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$2.54 $2.54

-39.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$4.94 $4.94

-57.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$4.67 $4.67

-50.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$3.85 $3.85

-45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$3.88 $3.88

-55.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$3.37 $3.37

-65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.65 $1.65

-4.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$12.04 $12.04

-67.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$15.50 $15.50

-9.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$3.14 $3.14

-43.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$3.94 $3.94

-31.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$2.44 $2.44

-25.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.66 $0.66

222.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$39.69 $39.69

-79.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.09 $1.09

17.43%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$35.1K $35.1K

-1.82%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$27.9K $27.9K

22.22%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$318 $318

-44.05%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$68.5 $68.5

-79.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$71.1 $71.1

-56.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$10.62 $10.62

-29.66%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$826 $826

-4.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$12.0K $12.0K

2.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$56.7 $56.7

52.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$62.2 $62.2

-4.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$107 $107

29.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$115 $115

-14.18%

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 13.3M

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

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Santa Isabel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6% 29.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2% 106% $235

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2% 52.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8% 10.9% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4% 93.8% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6% 62.7% $36

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 $83 in Santa Isabel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $398 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

23,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Santa Isabel 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santa Isabel

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 Isabel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 30%, 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 $1,948 in Santa Isabel. 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 $83 in Santa Isabel. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,298 in Santa Isabel, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,298 in Santa Isabel to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.