Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and St. Albert, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,167 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
St. Albert, AB $1,167

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,457 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
St. Albert, AB $2,457

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,747 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
St. Albert, AB $3,747

Medellin costs about 38% more than St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while St. Albert, AB is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$19.29 CA$27.43

-58.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$69.2 CA$98.4

-33.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$9.90 CA$14.08

-4.04%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$3.81 CA$5.41

-18.37%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$2.05 CA$2.92

-10.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,374

$2.00 CA$2.84

-31.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$5.03 CA$7.15

-39.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$5.64 CA$8.02

-2.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.68 CA$2.39

-13.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$2.18 CA$3.09

8.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$3.04 CA$4.32

-44.74%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$3.46 CA$4.92

-17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$11.42 CA$16.23

-10.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$11.34 CA$16.12

-15.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$18.19 CA$25.86

-22.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$4.22 CA$6.00

-3.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.39 CA$1.98

7.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$4.29 CA$6.09

-49.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$3.96 CA$5.62

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$2.63 CA$3.74

-26.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$2.64 CA$3.75

-37.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$2.57 CA$3.66

-56.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$1.56 CA$2.21

-19.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$13.93 CA$19.81

-71.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$11.72 CA$16.66

13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$2.43 CA$3.45

-30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,549

$2.82 CA$4.01

-15.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$2.03 CA$2.89

-40.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

$60.6 CA$86.1

26.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,193

$2.93 CA$4.16

-54.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$1.36 CA$1.94

57.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$20.90 CA$29.71

-59.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.10 CA$1.57

18.18%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$27.3K CA$38.8K

2.62%

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$19.5K CA$27.7K

81.94%

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

$172 COP 547.3K

$160 CA$228

7.38%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$38.86 CA$55.3

-65.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$52.6 CA$74.8

-45.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

$40.02 CA$56.9

13.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$12.66 CA$18.00

-50.39%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$748 CA$1,063

3.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$9,306 CA$13.2K

-3.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$55.7 CA$79.2

55.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$39.02 CA$55.5

46.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$83.3 CA$118

63.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$110 CA$157

-11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,334 CA$1,897

41.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$1,124 CA$1,598

-8.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,488 CA$3,537

63.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,492 CA$3,543

-32.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$3,157 CA$4,488

-79.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.51

142.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

St. Albert, AB

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8% 22.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6% 17.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1% 23.7% $40

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2% 67.7% $114

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7% 16% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6% 13% $7.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 384% higher in St. Albert, AB, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $360 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

68,232

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin St. Albert, AB 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,751 in St. Albert, AB. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,167 in St. Albert, AB. That's a gap of about 38%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Albert, AB, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Medellin at $1,614. In St. Albert, AB it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Albert, AB – 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 St. Albert, AB. 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.