Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Dimas, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,562 in San Dimas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in San Dimas, CA
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San Dimas, CA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Dimas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,562

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,562 per month in San Dimas, CA vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

San Dimas, CA $2,562
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in San Dimas, CA vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

San Dimas, CA $3,689
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $4,816 per month in San Dimas, CA vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

San Dimas, CA $4,816
Medellin $3,139

San Dimas, CA costs about 61% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Dimas, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – San Dimas, CA by 91%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 $12.15

$8.01 COP 25.5K

51.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 $50.7

$46.55 COP 148.4K

8.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-2.97%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$2.91 COP 9,280

101.03%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$1.75 COP 5,586

95.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.32 COP 4,220

80.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.58 $7.58

$3.13 COP 9,972

142.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$5.55 COP 17.7K

45.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 COP 4,496

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.44 COP 7,779

63.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.63 COP 5,192

197.55%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$2.82 COP 8,993

64.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$9.69 COP 30.9K

32.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.05 $20.05

$9.32 COP 29.7K

115.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$13.46 COP 42.9K

14.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.00 COP 12.8K

23.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.48 COP 4,720

12.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.12 COP 6,770

157.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.25 COP 7,180

162.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.91 COP 6,093

95.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.62 COP 5,162

42.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.15 COP 3,659

76.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.26 COP 4,022

52.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 $11.86

$3.82 COP 12.2K

210.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 $15.21

$13.11 COP 41.8K

16.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.60 COP 5,084

23.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.26 COP 7,190

88.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.17 COP 3,732

70.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 $6.21

$1.27 COP 4,057

388.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.05 COP 6,533

-16.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.65 $33.65

$8.20 COP 26.1K

310.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.27 COP 4,047

19.69%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

36.61%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.4K COP 109.7M

-20.21%

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

$170 $170

$162 COP 517.0K

4.96%

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

$66.2 $66.2

$13.12 COP 41.8K

404.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$28.09 COP 89.5K

115.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.71 $41.71

$44.33 COP 141.3K

-5.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$6.09 COP 19.4K

145.65%

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

$1,917 $1,917

$764 COP 2.4M

150.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

187.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 $39.64

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-31.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$132 COP 420.0K

-29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$95.8 COP 305.2K

50.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$1,028 COP 3.3M

54.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 $1,470

$604 COP 1.9M

143.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$1,802 COP 5.7M

37.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$993 COP 3.2M

135.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 $2,666

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-32.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 $2,437

$1,639 COP 5.2M

48.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,989 $3,989

$626 COP 2.0M

537.18%

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 Dimas, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Dimas, CA

$1.5K 53.6%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 58.9% $865

Groceries & Markets

San Dimas, CA

$455 16.6%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 36.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Dimas, CA

$297 10.8%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 31.5% $94

Eating Out

San Dimas, CA

$272 9.9%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 38.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

San Dimas, CA

$151 5.5%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 10.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San Dimas, CA

$72 2.6%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 21.1% $15

Getting Around

San Dimas, CA

$23 * 0.8%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 301% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,593 in San Dimas, CA versus $1,028 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 537% higher in San Dimas, 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 $51.0 in San Dimas, CA versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $455 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Dimas, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

22:47 10:47 PM

2 h ahead of San Dimas, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,714

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,572 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Dimas, CA Medellin 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Dimas, CA is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,843 per month in San Dimas, CA and $2,384 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 $51.0 in San Dimas, CA and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in San Dimas, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in San Dimas, CA at $2,562. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Dimas, 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 Dimas, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.