Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in St. Thomas

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
St. Thomas $2,432

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,274 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
St. Thomas $3,274

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,117 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
St. Thomas $4,117

Medellin is about 34% cheaper than St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and St. Thomas sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, St. Thomas by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$21.05 CA$29.76

-62.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$62.6 CA$88.5

-26.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$11.38 CA$16.09

-16.52%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.32 CA$4.69

-6.33%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.19 CA$3.10

-16.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.59 CA$2.24

-13.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$5.02 CA$7.10

-39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$5.89 CA$8.33

-6.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.08 CA$2.95

-30.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.61 CA$3.69

-9.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$3.73 CA$5.27

-54.96%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.09 CA$4.37

-7.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$9.94 CA$14.05

2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$15.43 CA$21.81

-38.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$19.20 CA$27.15

-26.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.86 CA$5.46

5.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.24 CA$1.75

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.49 CA$4.94

-37.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.97 CA$5.61

-41.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$3.36 CA$4.76

-42.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$3.07 CA$4.34

-46.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.85 CA$4.03

-60.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.46 CA$2.06

-14.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$10.98 CA$15.52

-63.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$12.74 CA$18.01

4.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.40 CA$3.39

-29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.78 CA$3.93

-14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$2.25 CA$3.18

-46.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$58.7 CA$82.9

30.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.30 CA$3.26

-42.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.62 CA$2.29

32.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$21.70 CA$30.68

-60.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.13 CA$1.59

15.04%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$28.0K CA$39.6K

-0.15%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$19.7K CA$27.9K

79.67%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$123 CA$174

39.48%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$42.76 CA$60.5

-68.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$55.5 CA$78.4

-48.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$44.43 CA$62.8

1.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$20.32 CA$28.72

-16.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$10.33 CA$14.61

-39.21%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$399 CA$564

93.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$16.7K CA$23.5K

-45.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$53.5 CA$75.7

61.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$35.84 CA$50.7

59.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$82.2 CA$116

66.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$90.6 CA$128

8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,148 CA$1,622

-8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,267 CA$1,792

-51.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,794 CA$2,537

5.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,470 CA$2,078

-30.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$4,187 CA$5,919

-3.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$3,561 CA$5,034

-52.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,970 CA$4,198

-78.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.99

119.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 106% $652

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 31.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 3.5% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 30.6% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 74.8% $126

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 16.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 12.6% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,148 in St. Thomas. 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 355% higher in St. Thomas, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $63.0 in St. Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $387 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

38,909

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin St. Thomas 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
St. Thomas

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. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Thomas is pricier by about 51%, 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 $3,648 in St. Thomas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $63.0 in St. Thomas. 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 $2,432 in St. Thomas. That's a gap of about 51%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in St. Thomas at $2,432. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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