Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Santos: $1,150 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Santos

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,150 in Santos, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Santos $1,150

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,736 in Santos, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Santos $1,736

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,322 in Santos, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Santos $2,322

Medellin costs about 41% more than Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Santos is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$8.12 R$41.18

2.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$31.84 R$161

47.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.14 R$36.19

29.41%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.75 R$13.96

10.91%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.43 R$7.24

25.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.92 R$4.68

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.52 R$12.76

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.92 R$14.79

90.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.09 R$5.50

37.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.85 R$9.39

28.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.36 R$6.91

25.00%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.49 R$12.61

18.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$12.14 R$61.6

-15.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.86 R$24.63

100.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.91 R$50.2

40.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.11 R$10.69

95.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.23 R$6.23

24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.99 R$10.07

11.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.85 R$9.37

22.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.35 R$6.86

47.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.29 R$6.56

29.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.16 R$5.87

1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.95 R$4.80

30.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.35 R$11.89

64.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.98 R$40.46

72.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.33 R$6.76

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.94 R$9.83

23.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.12 R$5.66

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$49.37 R$250

58.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.56 R$7.89

-17.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.61 R$8.16

33.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$17.80 R$90.2

-52.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.24 R$6.31

8.87%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$23.7K R$120.3K

46.52%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$33.5K R$169.6K

3.66%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$104 R$529

59.79%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$11.95 R$60.6

13.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$21.90 R$111

32.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$28.96 R$147

55.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$57.0 R$289

-69.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$8.59 R$43.55

-18.86%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$280 R$1,418

182.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$10.2K R$52.0K

-11.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$55.5 R$281

58.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$36.69 R$186

58.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$95.7 R$485

45.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$60.7 R$307

63.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$543 R$2,754

89.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$424 R$2,148

46.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$992 R$5,031

89.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$686 R$3,478

46.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,413 R$12.2K

65.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,776 R$9,004

-4.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$584 R$2,958

13.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.79

-14.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Santos

$424 36.9% 31.6% $196

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Santos

$219 19.1% 26.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Santos

$138 12% 34% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Santos

$112 9.7% 35.3% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Santos

$147 12.8% 13.8% $24

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Santos

$63 5.5% 33.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Santos

$46 4% 21.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $543 in Santos. 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 14% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $32.00 in Santos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $219 – making Santos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Santos

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

13:57 1:57 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

418,608

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Santos 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santos

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 Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,725 in Santos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $32.00 in Santos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,150 in Santos. That's a gap of about 41%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santos, where all-in costs run around $1,150, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Santos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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