Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sint Nicolaas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint Nicolaas: $136 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sint Nicolaas

🇦🇼 Aruba

$136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sint Nicolaas

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $136 in Sint Nicolaas, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sint Nicolaas $136

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $332 in Sint Nicolaas, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sint Nicolaas $332

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $527 in Sint Nicolaas, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sint Nicolaas $527

Medellin costs about 1108% more than Sint Nicolaas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sint Nicolaas is 90% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.40 AWG 29.34

-50.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$45.10 AWG 80.7

4.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.14 AWG 2.03

23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sint Nicolaas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $45 in Sint Nicolaas. Use this as a proxy for overall food spending across the two cities.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇼 Sint Nicolaas

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

08:31 8:31 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

18,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sint Nicolaas 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sint Nicolaas

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 Sint Nicolaas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 1108%, 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 $204 in Sint Nicolaas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $136 in Sint Nicolaas. That makes Sint Nicolaas about 92% cheaper.

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

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sint Nicolaas, where all-in costs run around $136, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sint Nicolaas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.