Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Luis Obispo, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,315 in San Luis Obispo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Obispo, CA
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San Luis Obispo, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Luis Obispo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,315

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,315 per month in San Luis Obispo, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Luis Obispo, CA $3,315
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,816 per month in San Luis Obispo, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Luis Obispo, CA $4,816
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,317 per month in San Luis Obispo, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Luis Obispo, CA $6,317
Medellin $3,186

San Luis Obispo, CA costs about 102% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Luis Obispo, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – San Luis Obispo, CA by 144%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.68 $23.68

$8.09 COP 26.1K

192.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 $60.1

$47.05 COP 151.9K

27.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.82 $12.82

$9.50 COP 30.7K

34.95%

Cappuccino

$6.37 $6.37

$3.01 COP 9,735

111.63%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.80 COP 5,809

58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.41 COP 4,561

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.09 $8.09

$3.18 COP 10.3K

154.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$5.75 COP 18.6K

37.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.51 COP 4,876

-23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.38 COP 7,678

87.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$1.77 COP 5,720

205.08%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$2.89 COP 9,333

60.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.61 $15.61

$10.19 COP 32.9K

53.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 $8.89

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-9.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 $15.50

$13.99 COP 45.2K

10.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-4.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.55 COP 5,012

28.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.18 COP 7,048

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.18 COP 7,051

49.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.96 COP 6,337

47.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.59 COP 5,132

76.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.15 COP 3,699

87.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.24 COP 4,014

64.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.65 $11.65

$3.96 COP 12.8K

194.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.25 $17.25

$13.68 COP 44.2K

26.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.66 COP 5,359

10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.26 COP 7,291

39.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.17 COP 3,771

47.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-23.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 $6.52

$1.27 COP 4,094

413.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.05 COP 6,612

34.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.93 $37.93

$8.55 COP 27.6K

343.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.35 COP 4,349

6.67%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-9.32%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.45%

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

$251 $251

$170 COP 547.8K

47.94%

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

$54.0 $54.0

$13.55 COP 43.8K

298.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$28.07 COP 90.6K

142.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.67 $32.67

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-25.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.73 $49.73

$17.19 COP 55.5K

189.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.28 $12.28

$6.91 COP 22.3K

77.71%

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

$2,312 $2,312

$797 COP 2.6M

190.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K $33.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

268.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-22.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.81 $49.81

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$135 COP 435.8K

-19.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 $99.7

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 $2,431

$1,208 COP 3.9M

101.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 $1,879

$642 COP 2.1M

192.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,313 $4,313

$2,028 COP 6.5M

112.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,264 $3,264

$1,012 COP 3.3M

222.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,432 $7,432

$4,170 COP 13.5M

78.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,995 $5,995

$1,910 COP 6.2M

213.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,519 $5,519

$657 COP 2.1M

739.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.26

10.94

-42.78%

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

Last update for San Luis Obispo, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Luis Obispo, CA

$1.9K 56.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 65.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

San Luis Obispo, CA

$392 11.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 24.2% $95

Eating Out

San Luis Obispo, CA

$382 11.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 55.6% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Luis Obispo, CA

$373 11.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 43.3% $162

Clothing & Footwear

San Luis Obispo, CA

$146 4.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 16% $23

Getting Around

San Luis Obispo, CA

$86 2.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 8.2% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

San Luis Obispo, CA

$57 1.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,431 in San Luis Obispo, CA 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 in San Luis Obispo, CA are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in San Luis Obispo, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Luis Obispo, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

3 h ahead of San Luis Obispo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,339

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Luis Obispo, CA Medellin 5,610 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Luis Obispo, CA
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 Luis Obispo, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Luis Obispo, CA is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,972 per month in San Luis Obispo, CA 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,431 in San Luis Obispo, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in San Luis Obispo, CA and $47 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 $3,315 in San Luis Obispo, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 51% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in San Luis Obispo, CA at $3,315. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Luis Obispo, CA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Luis Obispo, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.