Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Antonio, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,367 in San Antonio, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio, TX
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San Antonio, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Antonio, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,367

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,367 per month in San Antonio, TX vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Antonio, TX $2,367
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,599 per month in San Antonio, TX vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Antonio, TX $3,599
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,831 per month in San Antonio, TX vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Antonio, TX $4,831
Medellin $3,186

San Antonio, TX costs about 44% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Antonio, TX and Medellin sit above the global median – San Antonio, TX by 74%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$8.09 COP 25.4K

123.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 $71.0

$47.05 COP 148.0K

50.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 $10.60

$9.50 COP 29.9K

11.58%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.01 COP 9,485

71.76%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.80 COP 5,660

47.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.41 COP 4,443

23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.18 COP 9,990

69.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 $5.84

$5.75 COP 18.1K

1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.51 COP 4,751

-24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.38 COP 7,480

39.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.77 COP 5,573

143.50%

Eggs

$3.68 $3.68

$2.89 COP 9,093

27.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$10.19 COP 32.1K

20.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 $11.79

$9.87 COP 31.1K

19.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.72 $17.72

$13.99 COP 44.0K

26.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.97 COP 12.5K

18.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.55 COP 4,883

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.18 COP 6,867

105.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.18 COP 6,870

64.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.96 COP 6,174

26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.59 COP 5,000

91.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.15 COP 3,604

66.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.24 COP 3,911

82.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 $10.02

$3.96 COP 12.5K

153.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$13.68 COP 43.0K

7.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.66 COP 5,222

62.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.26 COP 7,104

54.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.17 COP 3,674

12.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 $38.02

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-50.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.27 COP 3,989

170.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.05 COP 6,442

-13.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.31 $24.31

$8.55 COP 26.9K

184.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.35 COP 4,237

-28.15%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

8.32%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-26.58%

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

$213 $213

$170 COP 533.7K

25.74%

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

$73.4 $73.4

$13.55 COP 42.6K

441.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

179.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 $35.23

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-19.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.42 $20.42

$17.19 COP 54.1K

18.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 $14.60

$6.91 COP 21.7K

111.29%

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

$1,283 $1,283

$797 COP 2.5M

61.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

110.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-39.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.62 $49.62

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-14.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 $136

$135 COP 424.6K

0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$97.9 COP 307.9K

53.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 $1,437

$1,208 COP 3.8M

18.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 $1,021

$642 COP 2.0M

59.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,887 $2,887

$2,028 COP 6.4M

42.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,012 COP 3.2M

87.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 $4,357

$4,170 COP 13.1M

4.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,761 $1,761

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-7.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,901 $3,901

$657 COP 2.1M

493.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

10.94

-41.13%

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

Last update for San Antonio, TX: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Antonio, TX

$1K 43.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 37.2% $379

Groceries & Markets

San Antonio, TX

$392 16.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 24.3% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Antonio, TX

$365 15.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 42.2% $154

Eating Out

San Antonio, TX

$295 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 42.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

San Antonio, TX

$174 7.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

San Antonio, TX

$64 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 10.7% $6.9

Getting Around

San Antonio, TX

$56 2.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 68.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in San Antonio, TX 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 San Antonio, TX are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in San Antonio, TX versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Antonio, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as San Antonio, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,434,625

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Antonio, TX Medellin 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Antonio, TX
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

San Antonio, TX vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Antonio, TX is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,551 per month in San Antonio, TX 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 $1,437 in San Antonio, TX.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in San Antonio, TX 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 $2,367 in San Antonio, TX and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 44%.

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, San Antonio, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.