Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Tecla: $1,364 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,364 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Santa Tecla $1,364

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,031 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Santa Tecla $2,031

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,698 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Santa Tecla $2,698

Medellin costs about 20% more than Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.70 $6.70

20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$45.47 $45.47

3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$6.84 $6.84

38.89%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.64 $3.64

-17.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.16 $1.16

55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.85 $0.85

65.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.02 $2.02

57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.54 $3.54

62.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.72 $1.72

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.25 $2.25

5.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.43 $1.43

23.78%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.31 $2.31

25.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.85 $7.85

29.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.57 $5.57

77.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.39 $10.39

34.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.33 $3.33

19.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.43 $1.43

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.56 $2.56

-14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.51 $3.51

-37.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$3.01 $3.01

-34.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$3.36 $3.36

-52.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.96 $0.96

19.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.92 $0.92

34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.03 $4.03

-1.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.80 $11.80

15.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.28 $2.28

-27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.98 $2.98

-24.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$5.83 $5.83

-78.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$3.08 $3.08

-33.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$19.68 $19.68

-56.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.29 $1.29

4.65%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$24.9K $24.9K

36.93%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$26.8K $26.8K

29.42%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$129 $129

31.15%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$20.96 $20.96

-35.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$42.20 $42.20

-33.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$24.86 $24.86

75.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.93 $4.93

40.16%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$161 $161

394.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,677 $4,677

94.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$68.0 $68.0

24.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$47.52 $47.52

21.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$119 $119

13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$115 $115

-15.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$736 $736

64.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$554 $554

15.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,220 $1,220

66.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$909 $909

11.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$407 $407

61.29%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Santa Tecla

$554 40.6% 13.7% $88

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Santa Tecla

$262 19.2% 11.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Santa Tecla

$193 14.1% 8.9% $19

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Santa Tecla

$143 10.5% 15.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Santa Tecla

$157 11.5% 6.9% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 77.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.5% 39.6% $23

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 $736 in Santa Tecla. 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 61% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $45 in Santa Tecla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $262 – making Santa Tecla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

138,695

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Santa Tecla 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santa Tecla

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 Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,047 in Santa Tecla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Tecla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $736 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $45 in Santa Tecla. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,364 in Santa Tecla. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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