Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,058 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $1,058
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $1,682
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,307 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $2,307
Medellin $3,190

San Juan del Sur is about 34% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San Juan del Sur sits 22% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 NIO 153

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-47.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.08 NIO 1,248

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-26.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 NIO 204

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-41.37%

Cappuccino

$2.56 NIO 93.7

$3.11 COP 9,866

-17.68%

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

$0.86 NIO 31.37

$1.83 COP 5,800

-53.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 25.02

$1.38 COP 4,360

-50.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NIO 53.8

$3.05 COP 9,672

-51.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-59.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 NIO 45.36

$1.45 COP 4,600

-14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 NIO 55.9

$2.36 COP 7,496

-35.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NIO 43.56

$1.68 COP 5,328

-29.17%

Eggs

$2.44 NIO 89.2

$2.86 COP 9,077

-14.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 NIO 283

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-24.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 NIO 225

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-35.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 NIO 287

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-44.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NIO 150

$4.07 COP 12.9K

0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 NIO 22.71

$1.50 COP 4,742

-58.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$2.17 COP 6,891

-15.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 NIO 89.9

$2.31 COP 7,310

6.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 NIO 114

$1.93 COP 6,113

61.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 79.9

$1.64 COP 5,196

32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 NIO 38.54

$1.13 COP 3,571

-7.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.52

$1.25 COP 3,954

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 NIO 101

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-30.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 NIO 357

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$1.70 COP 5,384

-16.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.7

$2.37 COP 7,525

-8.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 NIO 58.0

$1.32 COP 4,179

19.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NIO 60.3

$2.14 COP 6,774

-23.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 NIO 252

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-18.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NIO 49.13

$1.30 COP 4,114

3.08%

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

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-18.37%

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

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-24.66%

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

$60.8 NIO 2,225

$172 COP 545.6K

-64.69%

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

$10.32 NIO 378

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-22.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.01 NIO 1,209

$28.73 COP 91.1K

14.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.51 NIO 1,118

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-32.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.23 NIO 338

$6.28 COP 19.9K

46.97%

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

$233 NIO 8,530

$770 COP 2.4M

-69.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-31.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 NIO 2,237

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-29.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 NIO 2,421

$57.1 COP 181.1K

15.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,500

$137 COP 432.9K

-10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 NIO 5,331

$97.9 COP 310.4K

48.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 NIO 15.5K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-59.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 NIO 14.4K

$616 COP 2.0M

-36.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NIO 34.1K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-50.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 NIO 29.2K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-22.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 NIO 12.7K

$652 COP 2.1M

-46.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

10.94

8.96%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan del Sur

$393 37.2%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 56.6% $223

Groceries & Markets

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 31% $70

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 4.5% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 106% $110

Eating Out

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 70.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 18.1% $8.8

Getting Around

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 851% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,055 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 89% higher in Medellin, 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 $34.00 in San Juan del Sur versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $295 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

1 h ahead of San Juan del Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,741

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan del Sur Medellin 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,586 per month in San Juan del Sur and $2,421 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 del Sur, 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 $34.00 in San Juan del Sur and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan del Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Medellin at $1,614. In San Juan del Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan del Sur – 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 San Juan del Sur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.