Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $4,077 in San Diego, CA, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,077

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,077 per month in San Diego, CA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

San Diego, CA $4,077
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $6,059 per month in San Diego, CA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

San Diego, CA $6,059
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $8,041 per month in San Diego, CA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

San Diego, CA $8,041
Medellin $3,190

San Diego, CA costs about 153% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Diego, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – San Diego, CA by 202%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 $24.72

$7.93 COP 25.2K

211.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.7 $97.7

$46.13 COP 146.3K

111.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 $13.25

$9.50 COP 30.1K

39.47%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$3.11 COP 9,866

91.64%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.83 COP 5,800

70.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.38 COP 4,360

89.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.05 COP 9,672

166.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.11 $11.11

$5.50 COP 17.4K

102.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.45 COP 4,600

-5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.36 COP 7,496

136.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.68 COP 5,328

179.76%

Eggs

$6.77 $6.77

$2.86 COP 9,077

136.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.12 $17.12

$10.19 COP 32.3K

68.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.30 $14.30

$9.53 COP 30.2K

50.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.72 $20.72

$14.04 COP 44.5K

47.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$4.07 COP 12.9K

13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.50 COP 4,742

24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.17 COP 6,891

99.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.31 COP 7,310

119.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.93 COP 6,113

61.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.64 COP 5,196

64.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.13 COP 3,571

87.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.25 COP 3,954

60.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$3.99 COP 12.6K

194.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.72 $16.72

$13.35 COP 42.3K

25.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.70 COP 5,384

27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.37 COP 7,525

35.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.21 COP 3,827

104.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.4 $73.4

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-4.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.32 COP 4,179

126.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.14 COP 6,774

-2.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 $28.38

$8.47 COP 26.8K

235.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.30 COP 4,114

19.23%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

32.18%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.61%

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

$256 $256

$172 COP 545.6K

48.88%

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

$73.9 $73.9

$13.37 COP 42.4K

452.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.4 $84.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

193.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 $72.9

$45.24 COP 143.5K

61.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.09 $24.09

$17.04 COP 54.0K

41.37%

Cinema Ticket

$20.21 $20.21

$6.28 COP 19.9K

221.82%

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

$1,968 $1,968

$770 COP 2.4M

155.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K $36.0K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

299.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 $68.4

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-20.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 $54.7

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-4.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$137 COP 432.9K

-16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$97.9 COP 310.4K

49.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 $3,210

$1,055 COP 3.3M

204.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$616 COP 2.0M

291.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,499 $5,499

$1,892 COP 6.0M

190.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,336 $4,336

$1,023 COP 3.2M

323.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,110 $8,110

$4,059 COP 12.9M

99.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,682 $6,682

$1,678 COP 5.3M

298.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,975 $4,975

$652 COP 2.1M

662.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

10.94

-38.76%

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

Last update for San Diego, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Diego, CA

$2.4K 59.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 74.4% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

San Diego, CA

$475 11.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 38% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Diego, CA

$414 10.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 48.3% $200

Eating Out

San Diego, CA

$395 9.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 57.4% $226

Clothing & Footwear

San Diego, CA

$172 4.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 1.4% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

San Diego, CA

$113 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 49% $55

Getting Around

San Diego, CA

$97 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 3.5% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,210 in San Diego, 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 663% higher in San Diego, 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 $98.0 in San Diego, CA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $475 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Diego, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

2 h ahead of San Diego, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,386,932

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Between locations

San Diego, CA Medellin 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Diego, CA is pricier by about 153%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,116 per month in San Diego, 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 $98.0 in San Diego, 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 $4,077 in San Diego, CA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 153%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in San Diego, CA at $4,077. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Diego, 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Diego, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.