Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John Island and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $6,064 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $53,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

298

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
Learn more

Saint John Island Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,064

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint John Island and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saint John Island and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $6,064 per month in Saint John Island vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John Island $6,064
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $8,303 per month in Saint John Island vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John Island $8,303
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $10.5K per month in Saint John Island vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John Island $10.5K
Medellin $3,190

Saint John Island costs about 276% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint John Island and Medellin sit above the global median – Saint John Island by 349%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$70.9 $70.9

$7.93 COP 25.2K

794.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$150 $150

$46.13 COP 146.3K

224.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.96 $14.96

$9.50 COP 30.1K

57.47%

Cappuccino

$8.75 $8.75

$3.11 COP 9,866

181.35%

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

$3.58 $3.58

$1.83 COP 5,800

95.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.38 COP 4,360

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.05 COP 9,672

65.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 $7.05

$5.50 COP 17.4K

28.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.45 COP 4,600

124.83%

White Bread (500g)

$7.83 $7.83

$2.36 COP 7,496

231.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.96 $11.96

$1.68 COP 5,328

611.90%

Eggs

$11.88 $11.88

$2.86 COP 9,077

315.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.87 $31.87

$10.19 COP 32.3K

212.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.02 $33.02

$9.53 COP 30.2K

246.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.45 $24.45

$14.04 COP 44.5K

74.15%

Apples (1kg)

$21.79 $21.79

$4.07 COP 12.9K

435.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.50 COP 4,742

162.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$17.72 $17.72

$2.17 COP 6,891

716.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.14 $12.14

$2.31 COP 7,310

425.54%

Potato (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$1.93 COP 6,113

295.34%

Onion (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$1.64 COP 5,196

380.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.13 COP 3,571

330.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.25 COP 3,954

178.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.12 $9.12

$3.99 COP 12.6K

128.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.75 $22.75

$13.35 COP 42.3K

70.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.70 COP 5,384

157.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.37 COP 7,525

156.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.11 $7.11

$1.21 COP 3,827

487.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$151 $151

$76.5 COP 242.5K

97.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$29.90 $29.90

$1.32 COP 4,179

2165.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.51 $49.51

$8.47 COP 26.8K

484.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.30 COP 4,114

20.00%

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

$47.3K $47.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

69.02%

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

$53.6K $53.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

51.30%

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

$305 $305

$172 COP 545.6K

76.96%

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

$99.8 $99.8

$13.37 COP 42.4K

646.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 $104

$28.73 COP 91.1K

263.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 $80.5

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-6.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.12 $49.12

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-14.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$137 COP 432.9K

-37.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 $99.9

$97.9 COP 310.4K

1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,972 $3,972

$1,055 COP 3.3M

276.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 $3,436

$616 COP 2.0M

458.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,920 $4,920

$1,892 COP 6.0M

159.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,463 $4,463

$1,023 COP 3.2M

336.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,516 $4,516

$652 COP 2.1M

592.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-36.01%

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

Last update for Saint John Island: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John Island

$3.4K 56.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 82.1% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

Saint John Island

$984 16.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 70.1% $689

Eating Out

Saint John Island

$785 12.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 78.5% $616

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John Island

$509 8.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 57.9% $294

Getting Around

Saint John Island

$209 * 3.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 55.4% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John Island

$141 2.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 20.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John Island

- * 0%

Medellin

$58 3.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,972 in Saint John Island versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 592% higher in Saint John Island, 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 $150 in Saint John Island versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $984 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

1 h behind Saint John Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,170

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint John Island Medellin 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint John Island
Medellin

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

Saint John Island vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John Island is pricier by about 276%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $9,096 per month in Saint John Island and $2,421 in Medellin. 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.

Public transport costs about 98% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 234% more in Saint John Island, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Saint John Island at $6,064. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John Island 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John Island makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.