Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro Sula and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro Sula: $1,221 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro Sula
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San Pedro Sula Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Pedro Sula

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,221

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,221 per month in San Pedro Sula vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

San Pedro Sula $1,221
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,818 per month in San Pedro Sula vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

San Pedro Sula $1,818
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,414 per month in San Pedro Sula vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

San Pedro Sula $2,414
Medellin $3,190

San Pedro Sula is about 24% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Pedro Sula sits 10% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 HNL 200

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-6.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.86 HNL 910

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 HNL 252

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$2.34 HNL 62.9

$3.11 COP 9,866

-24.76%

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

$1.06 HNL 28.52

$1.83 COP 5,800

-42.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 HNL 20.90

$1.38 COP 4,360

-43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 HNL 49.68

$3.05 COP 9,672

-39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 HNL 97.3

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-34.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 HNL 41.10

$1.45 COP 4,600

5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 HNL 54.6

$2.36 COP 7,496

-13.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 HNL 43.56

$1.68 COP 5,328

-3.57%

Eggs

$2.35 HNL 63.0

$2.86 COP 9,077

-17.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 HNL 238

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-13.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 HNL 179

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-30.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 HNL 248

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-34.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 HNL 93.7

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-14.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 HNL 34.12

$1.50 COP 4,742

-15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 HNL 86.0

$2.17 COP 6,891

47.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 HNL 46.31

$2.31 COP 7,310

-25.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 HNL 65.4

$1.93 COP 6,113

25.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 HNL 63.0

$1.64 COP 5,196

43.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 HNL 38.37

$1.13 COP 3,571

26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 HNL 44.45

$1.25 COP 3,954

32.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 HNL 81.8

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-23.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 HNL 347

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-3.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 HNL 22.99

$1.70 COP 5,384

-49.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 HNL 37.44

$2.37 COP 7,525

-41.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 HNL 17.07

$1.21 COP 3,827

-47.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.87 HNL 963

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-53.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 HNL 73.3

$1.32 COP 4,179

106.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 HNL 49.63

$2.14 COP 6,774

-13.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 HNL 297

$8.47 COP 26.8K

30.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 HNL 25.03

$1.30 COP 4,114

-28.46%

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

$23.0K HNL 617.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-17.93%

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

$24.4K HNL 655.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-31.06%

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

$129 HNL 3,478

$172 COP 545.6K

-24.75%

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

$11.29 HNL 303

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-15.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.72 HNL 1,174

$28.73 COP 91.1K

52.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.53 HNL 1,008

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-17.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 HNL 378

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-17.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 HNL 155

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-8.28%

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

$148 HNL 3,971

$770 COP 2.4M

-80.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,203 HNL 86.0K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-64.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 HNL 1,965

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-15.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.91 HNL 1,072

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-30.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 HNL 2,107

$137 COP 432.9K

-42.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.9 HNL 2,013

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-23.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 HNL 15.3K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-46.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 HNL 11.3K

$616 COP 2.0M

-31.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 HNL 22.0K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-56.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 HNL 19.0K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-31.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$992 HNL 26.6K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-75.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$426 HNL 11.4K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-74.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 HNL 16.3K

$652 COP 2.1M

-6.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.33

10.94

12.71%

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

Last update for San Pedro Sula: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro Sula

$421 34.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 46.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro Sula

$256 21%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 15.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro Sula

$185 15.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 16.1% $30

Eating Out

San Pedro Sula

$139 11.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 20.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro Sula

$120 9.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 41.9% $50

Getting Around

San Pedro Sula

$50 4.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 85.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro Sula

$49 4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 17.9% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $568 in San Pedro Sula 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 7% higher in Medellin, 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 $34.00 in San Pedro Sula versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $295 – making San Pedro Sula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇳 San Pedro Sula

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h ahead of San Pedro Sula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,064

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Honduran Lempira HNL L

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.31 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to HNL – Honduran Lempira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇳 Honduran Lempira (L)

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.2 HNL (100 HNL = 3.31 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to HNL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Pedro Sula Medellin 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Pedro Sula
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 Pedro Sula vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,831 per month in San Pedro Sula 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 San Pedro Sula, 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 $34.00 in San Pedro Sula 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 $1,221 in San Pedro Sula and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 32%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro Sula, where all-in costs run around $1,221, than in Medellin at $1,614. In San Pedro Sula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Pedro Sula – 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 Pedro Sula. 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.