Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Bernardino, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardino, CA
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San Bernardino, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Bernardino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,856

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,856 per month in San Bernardino, CA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

San Bernardino, CA $2,856
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,354 per month in San Bernardino, CA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

San Bernardino, CA $4,354
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $5,853 per month in San Bernardino, CA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

San Bernardino, CA $5,853
Medellin $3,190

San Bernardino, CA costs about 77% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Bernardino, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – San Bernardino, CA by 112%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 $20.02

$7.93 COP 25.2K

152.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$46.13 COP 146.3K

65.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.54 $16.54

$9.50 COP 30.1K

74.11%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$3.11 COP 9,866

88.75%

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

$3.54 $3.54

$1.83 COP 5,800

93.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.38 COP 4,360

70.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 $7.30

$3.05 COP 9,672

139.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.38 $9.38

$5.50 COP 17.4K

70.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.45 COP 4,600

-24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.36 COP 7,496

66.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.68 COP 5,328

179.17%

Eggs

$4.70 $4.70

$2.86 COP 9,077

64.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$10.19 COP 32.3K

27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-8.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 $15.33

$14.04 COP 44.5K

9.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$4.07 COP 12.9K

14.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.50 COP 4,742

19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.17 COP 6,891

86.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.31 COP 7,310

145.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.93 COP 6,113

87.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.64 COP 5,196

34.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.13 COP 3,571

76.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.25 COP 3,954

48.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$3.99 COP 12.6K

194.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$13.35 COP 42.3K

10.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.70 COP 5,384

24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.37 COP 7,525

81.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.21 COP 3,827

70.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 $59.5

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-22.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.83 $9.83

$1.32 COP 4,179

644.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.30 COP 4,114

13.08%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

30.35%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.45%

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

$216 $216

$172 COP 545.6K

25.32%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$13.37 COP 42.4K

398.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

155.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.64 $39.64

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-12.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 $15.33

$6.28 COP 19.9K

144.11%

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

$1,143 $1,143

$770 COP 2.4M

48.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K $17.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

93.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-27.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 $47.37

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-17.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$137 COP 432.9K

-22.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$97.9 COP 310.4K

48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$1,055 COP 3.3M

68.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 $1,442

$616 COP 2.0M

134.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$1,892 COP 6.0M

32.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,783 $2,783

$1,023 COP 3.2M

172.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,608 $3,608

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-11.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,635 $3,635

$1,678 COP 5.3M

116.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$652 COP 2.1M

431.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.94

-41.59%

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

Last update for San Bernardino, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Bernardino, CA

$1.4K 50.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 57.3% $826

Groceries & Markets

San Bernardino, CA

$389 13.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 24.3% $94

Eating Out

San Bernardino, CA

$359 12.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 53.1% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Bernardino, CA

$356 12.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 39.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

San Bernardino, CA

$162 5.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 4.7% $7.7

Getting Around

San Bernardino, CA

$78 * 2.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 20.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Bernardino, CA

$70 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 17.8% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,775 in San Bernardino, CA 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 432% higher in San Bernardino, CA, 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 $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Bernardino, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

12:58 12:58 PM

2 h ahead of San Bernardino, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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San Bernardino, CA Medellin 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Bernardino, CA
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 Bernardino, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Bernardino, CA is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,284 per month in San Bernardino, CA 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 $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA 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 $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in San Bernardino, CA at $2,856. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Bernardino, CA 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, San Bernardino, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.