Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint John, New Brunswick 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, New Brunswick and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,885 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836
Medellin $3,190

Saint John, New Brunswick costs about 20% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint John, New Brunswick and Medellin sit above the global median – Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 CA$25.89

$7.93 COP 25.2K

130.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 CA$83.5

$46.13 COP 146.3K

27.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$9.50 COP 30.1K

9.79%

Cappuccino

$3.00 CA$4.25

$3.11 COP 9,866

-3.54%

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

$1.69 CA$2.39

$1.83 COP 5,800

-7.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.38 COP 4,360

-23.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 CA$6.26

$3.05 COP 9,672

45.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CA$7.08

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-8.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.07

$1.45 COP 4,600

49.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.77

$2.36 COP 7,496

13.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$1.68 COP 5,328

85.71%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$2.86 COP 9,077

20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 CA$18.61

$10.19 COP 32.3K

29.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 CA$16.56

$9.53 COP 30.2K

22.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$18.06

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-8.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CA$6.77

$4.07 COP 12.9K

17.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.50 COP 4,742

-2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.91

$2.17 COP 6,891

92.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.51

$2.31 COP 7,310

68.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$1.93 COP 6,113

3.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.64 COP 5,196

34.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$1.13 COP 3,571

118.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.25 COP 3,954

12.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 CA$19.67

$3.99 COP 12.6K

248.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 CA$13.99

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$1.70 COP 5,384

5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.37 COP 7,525

-10.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.92

$1.21 COP 3,827

70.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 CA$79.2

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-26.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$1.32 COP 4,179

121.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$2.14 COP 6,774

-50.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 CA$24.52

$8.47 COP 26.8K

104.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.30 COP 4,114

-3.85%

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

$24.3K CA$34.4K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-13.07%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-46.92%

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

$120 CA$169

$172 COP 545.6K

-30.56%

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

$41.55 CA$58.7

$13.37 COP 42.4K

210.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 CA$91.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

125.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$45.24 COP 143.5K

15.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.03 CA$49.52

$17.04 COP 54.0K

105.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 CA$18.07

$6.28 COP 19.9K

103.50%

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

$378 CA$534

$770 COP 2.4M

-50.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K CA$15.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

23.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.34 CA$68.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-44.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 CA$49.71

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$137 COP 432.9K

-24.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$97.9 COP 310.4K

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 CA$1,400

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-6.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 CA$1,158

$616 COP 2.0M

32.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 CA$2,277

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-14.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 CA$1,843

$1,023 COP 3.2M

27.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,018 CA$2,854

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-50.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,093 CA$2,959

$1,678 COP 5.3M

24.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 CA$3,396

$652 COP 2.1M

268.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

10.94

-57.13%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 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, New Brunswick

$819 42.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 24.8% $203

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 15.9% $56

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 34.5% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 5.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 29.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 25.7% $20

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 28.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 268% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

14:46 2:46 PM

2 h behind Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Saint John, New Brunswick Medellin 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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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, New Brunswick vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John, New Brunswick is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,901 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Saint John, New Brunswick at $1,934. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John, New Brunswick 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, Saint John, New Brunswick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.