Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John's and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,811 in Saint John’s, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,811

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,811 per month in Saint John’s vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John's $1,811
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,821 per month in Saint John’s vs $2,439 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John's $2,821
Medellin $2,439

A family of three spends $3,831 per month in Saint John’s vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint John's $3,831
Medellin $3,186

Saint John’s costs about 7% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint John’s and Medellin sit above the global median – Saint John’s by 34%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.46 EC$44.45

$8.34 COP 26.9K

97.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 EC$152

$46.53 COP 150.1K

20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 EC$25.51

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-0.21%

Cappuccino

$3.68 EC$9.93

$3.13 COP 10.1K

17.57%

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

$1.90 EC$5.14

$1.77 COP 5,700

7.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 EC$3.21

$1.42 COP 4,597

-16.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 EC$6.67

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 EC$11.96

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-22.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 EC$6.05

$1.53 COP 4,946

46.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 EC$7.44

$2.29 COP 7,394

20.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 EC$4.89

$1.94 COP 6,276

-6.70%

Eggs

$6.54 EC$17.67

$3.07 COP 9,895

113.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 EC$23.46

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-13.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 EC$21.53

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-23.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 EC$33.01

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$6.36 EC$17.19

$4.05 COP 13.1K

57.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 EC$6.76

$1.53 COP 4,932

63.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.34 EC$22.52

$2.10 COP 6,791

297.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.35 EC$22.55

$2.29 COP 7,402

264.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 EC$7.60

$2.11 COP 6,807

33.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 EC$7.78

$1.71 COP 5,515

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 EC$7.11

$1.17 COP 3,776

125.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 EC$4.30

$1.58 COP 5,099

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 EC$15.25

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-59.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 EC$5.15

$1.76 COP 5,685

8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 EC$9.03

$2.71 COP 8,752

23.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 EC$4.44

$1.28 COP 4,115

28.91%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

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

$259 EC$701

$178 COP 573.5K

45.99%

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

$41.21 EC$111

$13.89 COP 44.8K

196.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 EC$222

$30.74 COP 99.2K

167.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 EC$175

$41.94 COP 135.4K

54.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.12 EC$16.53

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-18.07%

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

$188 EC$508

$790 COP 2.5M

-76.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,842 EC$4,972

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-85.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 EC$136

$86.3 COP 278.6K

-41.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 EC$202

$138 COP 446.4K

-45.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 EC$2,805

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-22.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 EC$1,830

$667 COP 2.2M

1.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 EC$4,547

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-14.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 EC$3,927

$1,033 COP 3.3M

40.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,366 EC$3,688

$646 COP 2.1M

111.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

10.94

-49.73%

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

Last update for Saint John's: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John's

–

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Groceries & Markets

Saint John's

–

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John's

–

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Eating Out

Saint John's

–

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John's

–

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Getting Around

Saint John's

–

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John's

–

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,039 in Saint John’s versus $1,208 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 in Saint John’s are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Saint John’s versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

06:17 6:17 AM

1 h behind Saint John's

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,926 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John's Medellin 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Saint John’s is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,717 per month in Saint John’s and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint John’s, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,039 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Saint John’s and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Saint John’s, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,811 in Saint John’s and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $1,811 in Saint John’s. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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