Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel: $1,317 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel
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San Miguel Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Miguel

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,317

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in San Miguel vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Miguel $1,317
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,946 per month in San Miguel vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Miguel $1,946
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,575 per month in San Miguel vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Miguel $2,575
Medellin $3,186

San Miguel is about 20% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Miguel sits 3% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 $3.98

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-50.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.56 $24.56

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-47.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.75 $6.75

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-28.95%

Cappuccino

$3.08 $3.08

$3.01 COP 9,485

2.33%

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

$0.76 $0.76

$1.80 COP 5,660

-57.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.41 COP 4,443

-58.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.18 COP 9,990

-38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-37.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.51 COP 4,751

23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.38 COP 7,480

18.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.77 COP 5,573

-22.03%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$2.89 COP 9,093

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-22.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.97 COP 12.5K

26.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.55 COP 4,883

-10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.18 COP 6,867

17.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.18 COP 6,870

62.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.96 COP 6,174

52.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.59 COP 5,000

104.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.15 COP 3,604

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.24 COP 3,911

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.66 COP 5,222

37.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.26 COP 7,104

30.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.17 COP 3,674

-71.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.10 $27.10

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-64.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.27 COP 3,989

386.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.05 COP 6,442

42.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 $10.02

$8.55 COP 26.9K

17.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.35 COP 4,237

-3.70%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-26.53%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-21.63%

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

$128 $128

$170 COP 533.7K

-24.34%

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

$19.90 $19.90

$13.55 COP 42.6K

46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.90 $24.90

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-11.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.30 $28.30

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-35.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.76 $21.76

$17.19 COP 54.1K

26.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 $5.04

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-27.06%

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

$165 $165

$797 COP 2.5M

-79.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,340 $4,340

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-52.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 $65.5

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-22.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.48 $46.48

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$135 COP 424.6K

-11.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$97.9 COP 307.9K

17.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$701 $701

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-41.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 $501

$642 COP 2.0M

-21.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 $980

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-51.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-17.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,377 $1,377

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-66.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$944 $944

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-50.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$382 $382

$657 COP 2.1M

-41.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

10.94

-22.30%

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

Last update for San Miguel: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel

$501 38%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 28.1% $141

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel

$288 21.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 3.2% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel

$173 13.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 22% $38

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel

$156 11.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 8.2% $13

Eating Out

San Miguel

$111 8.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.2% $58

Getting Around

San Miguel

$49 3.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 90.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel

$38 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 49.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $701 in San Miguel 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 run about 72% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Miguel versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $297 – making San Miguel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Miguel

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

08:20 8:20 AM

1 h ahead of San Miguel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

247,126

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Miguel Medellin 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Miguel
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 Miguel vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in San Miguel 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 San Miguel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $701 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Miguel 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 $1,317 in San Miguel and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 24%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,317 in San Miguel and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Miguel – 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 Miguel. 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.