Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in San Francisco and in Medellin: $1,668 and $1,639 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
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San Francisco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,668 per month in San Francisco vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Francisco $1,668
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,674 per month in San Francisco vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Francisco $2,674
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,680 per month in San Francisco vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Francisco $3,680
Medellin $3,186

San Francisco costs about 2% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Francisco and Medellin sit above the global median – San Francisco by 23%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.03 ₡4,524

$8.09 COP 25.4K

23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 ₡27.8K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

31.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 ₡5,024

$9.50 COP 29.9K

17.16%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,058

$3.01 COP 9,485

51.50%

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

$1.29 ₡584

$1.80 COP 5,660

-28.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₡774

$1.41 COP 4,443

21.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,520

$3.18 COP 9,990

5.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,020

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-22.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,095

$1.51 COP 4,751

60.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,367

$2.38 COP 7,480

27.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.77 COP 5,573

35.03%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$2.89 COP 9,093

19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₡4,911

$10.19 COP 32.1K

6.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,691

$9.87 COP 31.1K

5.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 ₡6,237

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 ₡2,353

$3.97 COP 12.5K

31.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.55 COP 4,883

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,160

$2.18 COP 6,867

119.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,744

$2.18 COP 6,870

77.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,770

$1.96 COP 6,174

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 ₡1,689

$1.59 COP 5,000

135.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡491

$1.15 COP 3,604

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,401

$1.24 COP 3,911

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.82 ₡2,625

$3.96 COP 12.5K

46.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.69 ₡8,883

$13.68 COP 43.0K

43.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$1.66 COP 5,222

71.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,600

$2.26 COP 7,104

57.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡620

$1.17 COP 3,674

17.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 ₡29.7K

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-14.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ₡787

$1.27 COP 3,989

37.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡730

$2.05 COP 6,442

-20.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.88 ₡4,008

$8.55 COP 26.9K

3.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡689

$1.35 COP 4,237

13.33%

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

$34.0K ₡15.3M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-0.18%

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

$42.8K ₡19.3M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

23.56%

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

$76.4 ₡34.5K

$170 COP 533.7K

-55.00%

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

$32.60 ₡14.7K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

140.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.89 ₡22.1K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

74.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 ₡31.0K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

57.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 ₡3,394

$6.91 COP 21.7K

8.83%

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

$989 ₡446.2K

$797 COP 2.5M

24.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

87.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ₡31.8K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-16.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 ₡25.7K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 ₡29.6K

$135 COP 424.6K

-51.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₡24.7K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 ₡360.4K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-33.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₡283.3K

$642 COP 2.0M

-2.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 ₡859.4K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-6.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡580.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

27.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$895 ₡404.0K

$657 COP 2.1M

36.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.94

-21.21%

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

Last update for San Francisco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Francisco

$628 37.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 2.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco

$400 24%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.8% $103

Eating Out

San Francisco

$206 12.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 17.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco

$158 9.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 33.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco

$111 6.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 51.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco

$84 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 31.4% $26

Getting Around

San Francisco

$81 4.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 15.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $799 in San Francisco 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 run about 36% higher in San Francisco. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Francisco versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h ahead of San Francisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,923

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Francisco Medellin 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Francisco is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,503 per month in San Francisco 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 San Francisco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $799 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Francisco 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 $1,668 in San Francisco and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 2%.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,668 in San Francisco and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,668 in San Francisco. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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