Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Bernardo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Bernardo: $895 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardo
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San Bernardo Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Bernardo

🇨🇱 Chile

$895

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $895 per month in San Bernardo vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

San Bernardo $895
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,397 per month in San Bernardo vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

San Bernardo $1,397
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,899 per month in San Bernardo vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

San Bernardo $1,899
Medellin $3,249

San Bernardo is about 47% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Bernardo sits 34% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.39 CLP 7,244

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-11.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.03 CLP 24.5K

$46.53 COP 150.2K

-46.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 CLP 6,536

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-29.57%

Cappuccino

$2.60 CLP 2,549

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-16.93%

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

$0.95 CLP 929

$1.77 COP 5,702

-46.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 CLP 980

$1.42 COP 4,599

-29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 CLP 3,851

$3.15 COP 10.2K

24.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 CLP 4,427

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 CLP 1,057

$1.53 COP 4,948

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 CLP 1,264

$2.29 COP 7,397

-43.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 CLP 1,582

$1.94 COP 6,279

-17.01%

Eggs

$3.92 CLP 3,845

$3.07 COP 9,900

27.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 CLP 10.8K

$9.99 COP 32.3K

10.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 CLP 4,309

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-57.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 CLP 10.2K

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-25.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 CLP 1,822

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-54.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CLP 1,448

$1.53 COP 4,934

-3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 CLP 1,393

$2.10 COP 6,794

-32.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,655

$2.29 COP 7,405

-26.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 CLP 812

$2.11 COP 6,810

-60.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 CLP 777

$1.71 COP 5,518

-53.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 CLP 1,141

$1.17 COP 3,778

-0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 CLP 1,040

$1.58 COP 5,101

-32.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 CLP 3,185

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-16.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.87 CLP 5,752

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-58.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CLP 1,500

$1.76 COP 5,688

-13.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 CLP 2,266

$2.71 COP 8,756

-14.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 CLP 826

$1.18 COP 3,809

-28.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 CLP 373

$1.81 COP 5,833

-79.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 CLP 880

$2.13 COP 6,874

-57.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.4K

$8.13 COP 26.3K

43.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CLP 1,334

$1.28 COP 4,117

6.25%

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

$16.9K CLP 16.5M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-50.99%

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

$25.1K CLP 24.6M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-26.60%

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

$124 CLP 121.2K

$178 COP 573.8K

-30.43%

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

$11.82 CLP 11.6K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-14.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.26 CLP 15.9K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-47.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.36 CLP 19.0K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-53.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 CLP 7,171

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-2.01%

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

$442 CLP 433.2K

$790 COP 2.6M

-44.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K CLP 10.5M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-12.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.97 CLP 35.3K

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-58.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.70 CLP 26.2K

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-54.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.6 CLP 65.3K

$138 COP 446.6K

-51.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 CLP 79.4K

$98.8 COP 319.0K

-18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 CLP 261.9K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-80.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 CLP 244.9K

$667 COP 2.2M

-62.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 CLP 682.9K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-64.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 CLP 525.2K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-48.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 CLP 1.8M

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-54.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,374 CLP 1.3M

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-29.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,333 CLP 1.3M

$646 COP 2.1M

106.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

10.94

-50.73%

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

Last update for San Bernardo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Bernardo

$250 27.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 167% $417

Groceries & Markets

San Bernardo

$210 23.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 46.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Bernardo

$152 17%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 46.6% $71

Eating Out

San Bernardo

$147 16.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 17.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

San Bernardo

$95 10.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 82% $78

Sport & Entertainment

San Bernardo

$34 3.8%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 67.3% $23

Getting Around

San Bernardo

$8.2 * 0.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 1034% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in San Bernardo versus $1,341 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 Bernardo are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Bernardo versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $307 – making San Bernardo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 San Bernardo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h behind San Bernardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,912

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.2 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 980 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,097 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Bernardo Medellin 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Bernardo
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 Bernardo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,343 per month in San Bernardo 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 San Bernardo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Bernardo and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $895 in San Bernardo and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Bernardo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.