Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Paul, MN and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Paul, MN
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Saint Paul, MN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,445 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $2,445
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,672 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $3,672
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,900 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $4,900
Medellin $3,186

Saint Paul, MN costs about 49% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint Paul, MN and Medellin sit above the global median – Saint Paul, MN by 80%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.66 $15.66

$8.09 COP 25.6K

93.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 $67.8

$47.05 COP 148.9K

44.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$9.50 COP 30.1K

6.00%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.01 COP 9,540

67.11%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$1.80 COP 5,693

71.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.41 COP 4,469

83.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.18 COP 10.0K

89.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$5.75 COP 18.2K

28.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.51 COP 4,778

-35.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.38 COP 7,524

59.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.77 COP 5,606

88.14%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.89 COP 9,146

2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-7.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-2.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-5.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.97 COP 12.6K

21.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.55 COP 4,911

-28.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.18 COP 6,907

169.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.18 COP 6,910

125.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.96 COP 6,210

94.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.59 COP 5,029

118.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.15 COP 3,625

78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.24 COP 3,934

41.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 $12.68

$3.96 COP 12.5K

220.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 $14.65

$13.68 COP 43.3K

7.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.66 COP 5,252

1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.26 COP 7,145

50.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.17 COP 3,696

67.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$77.4 COP 244.8K

34.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.27 COP 4,013

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.05 COP 6,480

-25.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.02 $31.02

$8.55 COP 27.1K

262.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.35 COP 4,262

-23.70%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-20.48%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-23.33%

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

$232 $232

$170 COP 536.8K

36.92%

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

$50.6 $50.6

$13.55 COP 42.9K

273.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$28.07 COP 88.8K

130.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.74 $29.74

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-31.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.50 $8.50

$17.19 COP 54.4K

-50.55%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 $13.07

$6.91 COP 21.9K

89.15%

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

$1,481 $1,481

$797 COP 2.5M

85.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K $28.1K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

208.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.01 $41.01

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-51.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 $40.23

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-30.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 $82.1

$135 COP 427.1K

-39.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$97.9 COP 309.7K

12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 $1,444

$1,208 COP 3.8M

19.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 $1,153

$642 COP 2.0M

79.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,660 $2,660

$2,028 COP 6.4M

31.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$1,012 COP 3.2M

110.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,631 $2,631

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-36.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 $1,949

$1,910 COP 6.0M

2.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 $4,256

$657 COP 2.1M

547.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

10.94

-42.32%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Paul, MN

$1.2K 47.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 44.4% $512

Groceries & Markets

Saint Paul, MN

$360 14.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 17.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Paul, MN

$348 14.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 39.2% $136

Eating Out

Saint Paul, MN

$283 11.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 40.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Paul, MN

$123 5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 37.3% $46

Getting Around

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 23.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Paul, MN

$56 2.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN 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 Paul, MN are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Saint Paul, MN versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

Same time as Saint Paul, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,068

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Saint Paul, MN Medellin 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Paul, MN
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 Paul, MN vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Paul, MN is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,667 per month in Saint Paul, MN 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 $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Saint Paul, MN and $47 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 $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 33% cheaper.

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 Paul, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.