Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Lorenzo: $1,263 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
Medellin, Colombia
San Lorenzo
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,263
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,263 per month in San Lorenzo vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

  • San Lorenzo $1,263
  • Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,995 per month in San Lorenzo vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

  • San Lorenzo $1,995
  • Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,728 per month in San Lorenzo vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

  • San Lorenzo $2,728
  • Medellin $3,249

San Lorenzo is about 25% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San Lorenzo sits 7% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.94 $11.94
$8.34 COP 26.9K
43.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.7 $84.7
$46.53 COP 150.1K
82.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.08 $9.08
$9.47 COP 30.5K
-4.12%
Cappuccino
$3.47 $3.47
$3.13 COP 10.1K
10.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 $1.88
$1.77 COP 5,696
6.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.42 COP 4,594
2.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.07 $3.07
$3.15 COP 10.2K
-2.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.10 $5.10
$5.70 COP 18.4K
-10.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.53 COP 4,943
43.79%
White Bread (500g)
$3.72 $3.72
$2.29 COP 7,389
62.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.44 $2.44
$1.94 COP 6,273
25.77%
Eggs
$7.93 $7.93
$3.07 COP 9,889
158.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.65 $12.65
$9.99 COP 32.2K
26.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.67 $9.67
$10.45 COP 33.7K
-7.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.43 $13.43
$13.96 COP 45.0K
-3.80%
Apples (1kg)
$4.95 $4.95
$4.05 COP 13.1K
22.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.58 $2.58
$1.53 COP 4,929
68.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.81 $4.81
$2.10 COP 6,786
129.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.68 $4.68
$2.29 COP 7,397
104.37%
Potato (1kg)
$3.89 $3.89
$2.11 COP 6,803
84.36%
Onion (1kg)
$3.90 $3.90
$1.71 COP 5,512
128.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.47 $3.47
$1.17 COP 3,774
196.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 $1.58
$1.58 COP 5,096
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.84 $11.84
$3.91 COP 12.6K
202.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.44 $15.44
$14.04 COP 45.3K
9.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.97 $2.97
$1.76 COP 5,682
68.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 $4.10
$2.71 COP 8,746
51.29%
🚌 Getting Around
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.18 COP 3,805
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$76.3 COP 246.0K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 $2.55
$1.81 COP 5,827
40.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 $1.53
$2.13 COP 6,867
-28.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.24 $41.24
$8.13 COP 26.2K
407.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 $1.26
$1.28 COP 4,113
-1.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$34.4K COP 111.1M
0.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K $27.6K
$34.1K COP 110.1M
-19.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$320 $320
$178 COP 573.2K
80.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$69.6 $69.6
$13.89 COP 44.8K
401.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.6 $69.6
$30.74 COP 99.1K
126.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$41.94 COP 135.3K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.46 $10.46
$7.47 COP 24.1K
40.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$818 $818
$790 COP 2.5M
3.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K $12.0K
$12.3K COP 39.7M
-2.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 $55.4
$86.3 COP 278.4K
-35.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.5 $61.5
$59.3 COP 191.1K
3.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 $110
$138 COP 446.2K
-20.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 $113
$98.8 COP 318.7K
14.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$667 COP 2.2M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,976 COP 6.4M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,033 COP 3.3M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,098 COP 13.2M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Lorenzo
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$646 COP 2.1M
-
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 Lorenzo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Lorenzo
$459
Medellin
$222 51.6% $237
Groceries & Markets
San Lorenzo
$416
Medellin
$307 26.2% $109
Eating Out
San Lorenzo
$203
Medellin
$173 15.1% $31
Clothing & Footwear
San Lorenzo
$153
Medellin
$172 12.6% $19
Sport & Entertainment
San Lorenzo
$21 *
Medellin
$57 172% $36
Getting Around
San Lorenzo
$10 *
Medellin
$93 818% $83
Accommodation & Living
San Lorenzo
- *
Medellin
$667

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in San Lorenzo versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇷 San Lorenzo
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
22:10 10:10 PM
21:10 9:10 PM
1 h behind San Lorenzo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,373
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • San Lorenzo Medellin 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • San Lorenzo
  • 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 Lorenzo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Lorenzo cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,894 per month in San Lorenzo and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in San Lorenzo or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in San Lorenzo and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in San Lorenzo and in Medellin?
Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in San Lorenzo or in Medellin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Lorenzo, where all-in costs run around $1,263, than in Medellin at $1,692. In San Lorenzo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in San Lorenzo or in Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,263 in San Lorenzo to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

San Lorenzo vs other spots: cost of living compared

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