Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,253 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

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

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,253

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/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 $2,253 per month in San Juan vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $2,253
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,373 per month in San Juan vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $3,373
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,494 per month in San Juan vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $4,494
Medellin $3,190

San Juan costs about 40% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan and Medellin sit above the global median – San Juan by 67%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.43 $19.43

$7.93 COP 25.2K

145.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 $82.3

$46.13 COP 146.3K

78.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 $9.43

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-0.74%

Cappuccino

$3.56 $3.56

$3.11 COP 9,866

14.47%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$1.83 COP 5,800

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.38 COP 4,360

5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.05 COP 9,672

-0.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-6.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.45 COP 4,600

51.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.36 COP 7,496

56.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.68 COP 5,328

40.48%

Eggs

$7.33 $7.33

$2.86 COP 9,077

156.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.19 COP 32.3K

25.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$9.53 COP 30.2K

0.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-5.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$4.07 COP 12.9K

26.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.50 COP 4,742

77.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.17 COP 6,891

130.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.31 COP 7,310

112.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.93 COP 6,113

92.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.64 COP 5,196

137.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.13 COP 3,571

212.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.25 COP 3,954

28.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$3.99 COP 12.6K

195.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$13.35 COP 42.3K

18.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.70 COP 5,384

80.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.37 COP 7,525

73.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.21 COP 3,827

-41.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.97 $29.97

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-60.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.32 COP 4,179

91.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.14 COP 6,774

-31.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$8.47 COP 26.8K

398.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.30 COP 4,114

-4.62%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

44.10%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-21.74%

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

$327 $327

$172 COP 545.6K

90.08%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$13.37 COP 42.4K

411.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

145.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.46 $41.46

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-8.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.70 $7.70

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-54.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 $10.40

$6.28 COP 19.9K

65.61%

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

$821 $821

$770 COP 2.4M

6.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

38.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-35.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 $61.4

$57.1 COP 181.1K

7.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$137 COP 432.9K

-20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$97.9 COP 310.4K

18.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 $1,802

$1,055 COP 3.3M

70.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 $846

$616 COP 2.0M

37.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,972 $2,972

$1,892 COP 6.0M

57.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,023 COP 3.2M

44.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,283 $7,283

$4,059 COP 12.9M

79.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 $3,377

$1,678 COP 5.3M

101.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,704 $2,704

$652 COP 2.1M

314.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

10.94

-40.13%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 11, 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

$846 37.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 27.2% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$466 20.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 54% $252

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$417 18.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 29.4% $122

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 11.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 36.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 10.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 7.1% $4.4

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.9%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 119% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,802 in San Juan 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 315% higher in San Juan, 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 $82.0 in San Juan versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $417 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Medellin 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min 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 – San Juan is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,379 per month in San Juan 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 Medellin, 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 $82.0 in San Juan and $46.00 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 $2,253 in San Juan and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 40%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in San Juan at $2,253. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.