Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,463 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,463 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $1,463
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,144
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,825 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,825
Medellin $3,249

San Juan de Pasto is about 14% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan de Pasto and Medellin sit above the global median – San Juan de Pasto by 8%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 COP 28.5K

$8.34 COP 26.9K

5.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$46.53 COP 150.3K

1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 COP 33.9K

$9.47 COP 30.6K

10.88%

Cappuccino

$2.89 COP 9,347

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-7.67%

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

$1.42 COP 4,595

$1.77 COP 5,704

-19.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 COP 3,898

$1.42 COP 4,600

-14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 COP 11.1K

$3.15 COP 10.2K

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 COP 11.7K

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-36.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,202

$1.53 COP 4,949

5.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,712

$2.29 COP 7,399

4.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 COP 6,654

$1.94 COP 6,281

6.19%

Eggs

$3.46 COP 11.2K

$3.07 COP 9,902

12.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 COP 23.1K

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-28.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 COP 32.7K

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-3.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 COP 38.2K

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-7.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,424

$1.53 COP 4,936

-10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,533

$2.10 COP 6,795

-18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 COP 6,010

$2.29 COP 7,407

-18.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,794

$2.11 COP 6,812

-15.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 COP 5,566

$1.71 COP 5,519

0.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 COP 3,321

$1.17 COP 3,779

-11.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,253

$1.58 COP 5,102

-16.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 COP 15.2K

$3.91 COP 12.6K

20.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 COP 40.7K

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,113

$1.76 COP 5,689

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 COP 8,421

$2.71 COP 8,758

-3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,586

$1.18 COP 3,810

-5.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 COP 216.0K

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-12.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 COP 5,267

$1.81 COP 5,835

-9.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,752

$2.13 COP 6,876

-1.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 COP 25.4K

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-3.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,159

$1.28 COP 4,118

0.78%

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

$39.0K COP 126.1M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

13.38%

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

$33.3K COP 107.5M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-2.43%

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

$129 COP 415.6K

$178 COP 573.9K

-27.58%

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

$13.90 COP 44.9K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

0.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 COP 96.9K

$30.74 COP 99.3K

-2.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 COP 106.6K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-21.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 25.3K

$7.47 COP 24.1K

4.95%

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

$581 COP 1.9M

$790 COP 2.6M

-26.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K COP 44.8M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

12.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 COP 303.2K

$86.3 COP 278.8K

8.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.34 COP 159.3K

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-16.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 394.3K

$138 COP 446.7K

-11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 COP 306.4K

$98.8 COP 319.1K

-3.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 COP 1.8M

$667 COP 2.2M

-18.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 COP 4.7M

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-26.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.6M

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-22.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,112 COP 6.8M

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-48.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 COP 5.1M

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-18.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.69%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 22.3% $121

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 10.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 28.8% $50

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 0.4% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 6.2% $10

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 12% $10

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 16.9% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $780 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in San Juan de Pasto versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $307 – making San Juan de Pasto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

Same time as San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Medellin 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,194 per month in San Juan de Pasto and $2,538 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 de Pasto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $780 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 12% less in San Juan de Pasto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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