Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,351 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
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San Marcos, TX Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,351

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,351 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $2,351
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,531 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $3,531
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,711 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $4,711
Medellin $3,249

San Marcos, TX costs about 39% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Marcos, TX and Medellin sit above the global median – San Marcos, TX by 74%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.30 $15.30

$8.34 COP 26.9K

83.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$46.53 COP 150.1K

28.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$9.47 COP 30.5K

27.46%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$3.13 COP 10.1K

47.28%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$1.77 COP 5,696

58.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.42 COP 4,594

21.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.15 COP 10.2K

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 $5.95

$5.70 COP 18.4K

4.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.53 COP 4,943

-51.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.29 COP 7,389

37.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.94 COP 6,273

102.06%

Eggs

$2.88 $2.88

$3.07 COP 9,889

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 $9.63

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-3.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-4.44%

Apples (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$4.05 COP 13.1K

52.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.53 COP 4,929

-22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$2.10 COP 6,786

209.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.29 COP 7,397

106.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.11 COP 6,803

92.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.71 COP 5,512

69.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.17 COP 3,774

57.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.58 COP 5,096

12.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.73 $8.73

$3.91 COP 12.6K

123.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 $14.24

$14.04 COP 45.3K

1.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.76 COP 5,682

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.71 COP 8,746

40.22%

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)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.81 COP 5,827

149.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.13 COP 6,867

-13.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.8 $59.8

$8.13 COP 26.2K

635.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.28 COP 4,113

-37.50%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-20.89%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-23.95%

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

$138 $138

$178 COP 573.2K

-22.36%

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

$39.29 $39.29

$13.89 COP 44.8K

182.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 $57.1

$30.74 COP 99.1K

85.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 $69.4

$41.94 COP 135.3K

65.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 $11.17

$7.47 COP 24.1K

49.53%

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

$675 $675

$790 COP 2.5M

-14.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K $10.7K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-12.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 $59.8

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-30.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.18 $38.18

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-35.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 $84.5

$138 COP 446.2K

-38.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$98.8 COP 318.7K

20.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 $1,336

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 $1,246

$667 COP 2.2M

86.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,884 $2,884

$1,976 COP 6.4M

45.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,263 $2,263

$1,033 COP 3.3M

119.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,443 $2,443

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-40.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 $1,902

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-1.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,140 $3,140

$646 COP 2.1M

385.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.94

-41.04%

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

Last update for San Marcos, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Marcos, TX

$1.2K 53%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 46.4% $578

Groceries & Markets

San Marcos, TX

$361 15.3%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 14.8% $53

Eating Out

San Marcos, TX

$269 11.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 35.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Marcos, TX

$234 10%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 5.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 26.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 38% $35

Getting Around

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 580% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,336 in San Marcos, TX 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.

Salaries in San Marcos, TX are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in San Marcos, TX versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

1 h ahead of San Marcos, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,894

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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San Marcos, TX Medellin 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Marcos, TX
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 Marcos, TX vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Marcos, TX is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,526 per month in San Marcos, TX and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,336 in San Marcos, TX and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in San Marcos, TX and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in San Marcos, TX, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $2,351 in San Marcos, TX. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Marcos, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.