Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $4,603 in San Jose, CA, rent and utilities included – about $35,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

223

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,603

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,603 per month in San Jose, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Jose, CA $4,603
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $6,374 per month in San Jose, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Jose, CA $6,374
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $8,145 per month in San Jose, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Jose, CA $8,145
Medellin $3,186

San Jose, CA costs about 181% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – San Jose, CA by 238%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.70 $21.70

$8.09 COP 25.6K

168.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$47.05 COP 148.9K

115.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$9.50 COP 30.1K

28.53%

Cappuccino

$5.86 $5.86

$3.01 COP 9,540

94.68%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.80 COP 5,693

70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.41 COP 4,469

72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.97 $8.97

$3.18 COP 10.0K

182.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 $10.02

$5.75 COP 18.2K

74.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.51 COP 4,778

13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.38 COP 7,524

84.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.77 COP 5,606

127.68%

Eggs

$5.72 $5.72

$2.89 COP 9,146

97.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.85 $19.85

$10.19 COP 32.2K

94.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.10 $14.10

$9.87 COP 31.2K

42.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.98 $21.98

$13.99 COP 44.3K

57.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.97 COP 12.6K

31.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.55 COP 4,911

25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.18 COP 6,907

148.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.18 COP 6,910

154.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.96 COP 6,210

79.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.59 COP 5,029

83.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.15 COP 3,625

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.24 COP 3,934

104.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.99 $11.99

$3.96 COP 12.5K

202.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.34 $15.34

$13.68 COP 43.3K

12.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.66 COP 5,252

48.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.26 COP 7,145

51.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.17 COP 3,696

119.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.8 $89.8

$77.4 COP 244.8K

16.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.27 COP 4,013

178.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.05 COP 6,480

49.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.32 $30.32

$8.55 COP 27.1K

254.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.35 COP 4,262

13.33%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

9.81%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-24.28%

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

$278 $278

$170 COP 536.8K

64.03%

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

$48.77 $48.77

$13.55 COP 42.9K

259.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 $82.4

$28.07 COP 88.8K

193.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.8 $87.8

$43.70 COP 138.3K

100.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.18 $24.18

$17.19 COP 54.4K

40.66%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 $16.13

$6.91 COP 21.9K

133.43%

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

$1,902 $1,902

$797 COP 2.5M

138.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.0K $39.0K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

328.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-30.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 $51.5

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$135 COP 427.1K

-25.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$97.9 COP 309.7K

23.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 $2,967

$1,208 COP 3.8M

145.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,948 $2,948

$642 COP 2.0M

359.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,822 $4,822

$2,028 COP 6.4M

137.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,470 $4,470

$1,012 COP 3.2M

341.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,193 $8,193

$4,170 COP 13.2M

96.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,167 $8,167

$1,910 COP 6.0M

327.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,076 $6,076

$657 COP 2.1M

824.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.94

-39.03%

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

Last update for San Jose, CA: 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 Jose, CA

$2.9K 64%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 78.2% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose, CA

$490 10.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 39.4% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose, CA

$409 8.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 48.4% $198

Eating Out

San Jose, CA

$367 8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 53.8% $198

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose, CA

$150 3.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 13% $19

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose, CA

$120 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 52.1% $63

Getting Around

San Jose, CA

$119 2.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 21.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,967 in San Jose, CA 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 in San Jose, CA are about 9.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in San Jose, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $490 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Jose, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

2 h ahead of San Jose, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,035,317

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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San Jose, CA Medellin 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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

Yes – San Jose, CA is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,904 per month in San Jose, CA 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,967 in San Jose, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in San Jose, CA 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 $4,603 in San Jose, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 64% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in San Jose, CA at $4,603. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose, 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.