Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Argentina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $891 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$891

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in San Juan vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $891
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,398 per month in San Juan vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $1,398
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,904 per month in San Juan vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $1,904
Medellin $3,186

San Juan is about 46% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 35% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.16 ARS 11.0K

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-11.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.73 ARS 61.1K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-15.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.51 ARS 19.2K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

31.68%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ARS 4,030

$3.01 COP 9,485

-12.96%

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

$2.19 ARS 3,365

$1.80 COP 5,660

21.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,797

$1.41 COP 4,443

29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 ARS 6,094

$3.18 COP 9,990

24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ARS 7,011

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,075

$1.51 COP 4,751

-10.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ARS 2,122

$2.38 COP 7,480

-42.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,138

$1.77 COP 5,573

-21.47%

Eggs

$1.45 ARS 2,227

$2.89 COP 9,093

-49.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.90 ARS 4,463

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-71.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 ARS 9,800

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-35.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.75 ARS 16.5K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-23.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,228

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-63.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,123

$1.55 COP 4,883

-10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ARS 2,103

$2.18 COP 6,867

-37.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,224

$2.18 COP 6,870

-33.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,244

$1.96 COP 6,174

-25.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,127

$1.59 COP 5,000

-13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ARS 2,138

$1.15 COP 3,604

20.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ARS 2,241

$1.24 COP 3,911

17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 ARS 4,138

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-32.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 ARS 7,616

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-63.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ARS 2,241

$1.66 COP 5,222

-12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ARS 2,205

$2.26 COP 7,104

-36.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ARS 1,596

$1.17 COP 3,674

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ARS 3,126

$1.27 COP 3,989

59.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,494

$2.05 COP 6,442

-52.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ARS 7,758

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-41.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ARS 1,742

$1.35 COP 4,237

-16.30%

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

$26.8K ARS 41.2M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-21.39%

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

$33.6K ARS 51.7M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-3.00%

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

$141 ARS 216.9K

$170 COP 533.7K

-16.89%

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

$9.91 ARS 15.2K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-26.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.96 ARS 27.6K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-36.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.64 ARS 45.6K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-32.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.96 ARS 10.7K

$6.91 COP 21.7K

0.72%

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

$173 ARS 266.4K

$797 COP 2.5M

-78.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-54.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 ARS 165.5K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

26.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.19 ARS 64.9K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-27.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.8 ARS 87.4K

$135 COP 424.6K

-57.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.24 ARS 55.7K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-62.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ARS 380.9K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-79.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ARS 303.9K

$642 COP 2.0M

-69.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ARS 769.5K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-75.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 ARS 627.1K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-59.71%

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)

$696 ARS 1.1M

$657 COP 2.1M

5.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

393.60%

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

Last update for San Juan: 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 Juan

$198 22.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 225% $444

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$190 21.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 56.4% $107

Eating Out

San Juan

$171 19.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 0.9% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$169 19%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 25.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$109 12.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 54.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$44 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 32.1% $14

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 747% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $248 in San Juan 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 6% higher in San Juan, 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 $40 in San Juan versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $297 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

2 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan Medellin 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,337 per month in San Juan 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 Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in San Juan and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $891 in San Juan and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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