Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $732 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Santa Maria $732

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,224 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Santa Maria $1,224

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,715 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Santa Maria $1,715

Medellin costs about 124% more than Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Santa Maria is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.61 R$30.22

44.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$33.42 R$180

40.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.46 R$34.77

47.06%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.70 R$9.16

77.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.03 R$5.54

74.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.62 R$3.31

127.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.51 R$8.11

110.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.26 R$22.92

34.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.02 R$5.47

48.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.48 R$7.94

60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.42 R$7.64

24.65%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.74 R$9.39

66.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.55 R$46.00

19.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.71 R$19.95

166.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.82 R$42.06

78.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.26 R$12.18

75.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.38 R$7.43

12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.01 R$10.83

8.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.37 R$7.40

59.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.13 R$6.08

73.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.28 R$6.90

24.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.87 R$4.68

32.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.82 R$4.41

51.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.20 R$11.85

80.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.58 R$40.79

80.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.21 R$6.50

37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.75 R$14.83

-17.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.22 R$6.57

-4.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$42.50 R$229

82.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.18 R$6.34

7.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.79 R$4.24

159.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.72 R$41.53

10.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.17 R$6.30

15.38%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.9K R$123.4K

48.57%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$30.0K R$161.7K

15.38%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$51.1 R$275

231.87%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$15.89 R$85.5

-14.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$17.02 R$91.6

64.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$22.47 R$121

94.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$11.14 R$60.0

54.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.46 R$29.39

26.56%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$147 R$790

442.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,764 R$14.9K

229.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$59.1 R$318

43.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$41.62 R$224

39.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$92.8 R$499

45.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$60.1 R$323

62.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$282 R$1,517

328.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$155 R$835

313.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$608 R$3,270

233.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$370 R$1,991

173.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,633 R$8,787

155.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$677 R$3,646

182.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$591 R$3,179

11.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 75.8% $486

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 37.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 60.2% $127

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 36.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 32.5% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 43.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 42% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $282 in Santa Maria. 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 11% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $33 in Santa Maria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $186 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

271,735

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Santa Maria 4,630 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santa Maria

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 Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 124%, 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 $1,098 in Santa Maria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Maria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $33 in Santa Maria. 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 $732 in Santa Maria. That makes Santa Maria about 55% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Maria, where all-in costs run around $732, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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