Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Louis, MO and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,361 in Saint Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Saint Louis, MO
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Saint Louis, MO Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Saint Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,361 per month in Saint Louis, MO vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint Louis, MO $2,361
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,555 per month in Saint Louis, MO vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint Louis, MO $3,555
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,749 per month in Saint Louis, MO vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint Louis, MO $4,749
Medellin $3,186

Saint Louis, MO costs about 44% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint Louis, MO and Medellin sit above the global median – Saint Louis, MO by 73%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 $17.81

$8.09 COP 26.1K

120.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$47.05 COP 151.9K

62.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$9.50 COP 30.7K

24.53%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.01 COP 9,735

67.44%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$1.80 COP 5,809

32.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.41 COP 4,561

24.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 $5.72

$3.18 COP 10.3K

79.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$5.75 COP 18.6K

21.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.51 COP 4,876

-15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.38 COP 7,678

65.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.77 COP 5,720

232.20%

Eggs

$3.86 $3.86

$2.89 COP 9,333

33.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.19 COP 32.9K

30.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.67 $15.67

$9.87 COP 31.9K

58.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.61 $20.61

$13.99 COP 45.2K

47.32%

Apples (1kg)

$8.44 $8.44

$3.97 COP 12.8K

112.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.55 COP 5,012

52.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.18 COP 7,048

164.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.18 COP 7,051

136.24%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.96 COP 6,337

123.47%

Onion (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$1.59 COP 5,132

210.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.15 COP 3,699

153.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.24 COP 4,014

136.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$3.96 COP 12.8K

106.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$13.68 COP 44.2K

8.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.66 COP 5,359

68.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.26 COP 7,291

44.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.17 COP 3,771

117.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.3 $78.3

$77.4 COP 249.8K

1.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.27 COP 4,094

170.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.05 COP 6,612

-22.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.27 $39.27

$8.55 COP 27.6K

359.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.35 COP 4,349

-25.93%

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

$29.0K $29.0K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-14.84%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-23.40%

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

$246 $246

$170 COP 547.8K

45.09%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$13.55 COP 43.8K

412.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$28.07 COP 90.6K

169.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.83 $28.83

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-34.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$17.19 COP 55.5K

17.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$6.91 COP 22.3K

98.99%

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

$1,404 $1,404

$797 COP 2.6M

76.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

159.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-30.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 $39.31

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-32.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$135 COP 435.8K

-34.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$97.9 COP 316.0K

23.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$1,208 COP 3.9M

20.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 $881

$642 COP 2.1M

37.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 $1,797

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-11.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 $1,519

$1,012 COP 3.3M

50.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,631 $1,631

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-60.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,819 $1,819

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-4.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,178 $4,178

$657 COP 2.1M

535.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

10.94

-38.57%

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

Last update for Saint Louis, MO: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Louis, MO

$881 37.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 27.2% $240

Groceries & Markets

Saint Louis, MO

$496 21%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 40.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Louis, MO

$391 16.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 46% $180

Eating Out

Saint Louis, MO

$297 12.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 43% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Louis, MO

$138 5.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 22.1% $31

Getting Around

Saint Louis, MO

$100 4.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 6.4% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Louis, MO

$56 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.1% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,453 in Saint Louis, MO 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 Louis, MO are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Saint Louis, MO versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $496 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Louis, MO

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

1 h ahead of Saint Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Saint Louis, MO Medellin 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Louis, MO
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 Louis, MO vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Louis, MO is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,542 per month in Saint Louis, MO and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,453 in Saint Louis, MO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Saint Louis, MO and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Saint Louis, MO, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint Louis, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.