Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, Argentina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,353 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,353

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in San Rafael vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

San Rafael $1,353
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,224 per month in San Rafael vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

San Rafael $2,224
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,096 per month in San Rafael vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

San Rafael $3,096
Medellin $3,249

San Rafael is about 20% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.01 ARS 17.0K

$8.34 COP 26.9K

32.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 ARS 78.7K

$46.53 COP 150.1K

9.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.49 ARS 22.4K

$9.47 COP 30.6K

53.01%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ARS 6,857

$3.13 COP 10.1K

41.85%

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

$2.43 ARS 3,760

$1.77 COP 5,700

37.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,932

$1.42 COP 4,597

33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 ARS 6,015

$3.15 COP 10.2K

23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ARS 6,768

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-23.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,148

$1.53 COP 4,946

-9.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ARS 3,376

$2.29 COP 7,394

-4.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 ARS 4,297

$1.94 COP 6,276

43.30%

Eggs

$3.19 ARS 4,921

$3.07 COP 9,895

3.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.27 ARS 22.1K

$9.99 COP 32.2K

42.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 ARS 9,446

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-41.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 ARS 17.1K

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 ARS 3,639

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-41.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ARS 3,447

$1.53 COP 4,932

45.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ARS 2,109

$2.10 COP 6,791

-34.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ARS 5,149

$2.29 COP 7,402

45.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 ARS 3,129

$2.11 COP 6,807

-3.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,352

$1.71 COP 5,515

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ARS 3,092

$1.17 COP 3,776

70.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 ARS 3,967

$1.58 COP 5,099

62.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ARS 4,138

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-31.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 ARS 7,838

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,785

$1.76 COP 5,685

2.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ARS 4,740

$2.71 COP 8,752

13.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,508

$1.18 COP 3,807

-16.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ARS 3,105

$1.81 COP 5,831

11.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,584

$2.13 COP 6,871

-51.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 ARS 7,610

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-39.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,880

$1.28 COP 4,115

-4.69%

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

$27.4K ARS 42.3M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-20.58%

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

$32.4K ARS 50.0M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-5.18%

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

$146 ARS 226.0K

$178 COP 573.5K

-17.71%

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

$17.25 ARS 26.7K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

24.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.80 ARS 36.8K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-22.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.51 ARS 48.7K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-24.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

$16.80 COP 54.2K

25.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 ARS 11.2K

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-2.95%

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

$174 ARS 268.8K

$790 COP 2.5M

-77.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,125 ARS 6.4M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-66.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 193.3K

$86.3 COP 278.6K

44.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$142 ARS 219.9K

$59.3 COP 191.2K

140.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 ARS 218.5K

$138 COP 446.4K

2.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 ARS 243.8K

$98.8 COP 318.9K

59.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 ARS 788.8K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-61.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ARS 519.9K

$667 COP 2.2M

-49.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 ARS 1.6M

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-46.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 ARS 1.3M

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-20.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 ARS 2.0M

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-34.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

439.31%

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

Last update for San Rafael: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$336 24.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 98.3% $331

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$287 21.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 7.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$255 18.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 32.5% $83

Eating Out

San Rafael

$230 17%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 25.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$187 13.9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 18.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$46 3.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 23.7% $11

Getting Around

San Rafael

$11 * 0.8%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 747% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in San Rafael 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in San Rafael versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in San Rafael vs $307 in Medellin – so San Rafael wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

07:38 7:38 AM

2 h behind San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,850

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Rafael Medellin 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,029 per month in San Rafael and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in San Rafael and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,353 in San Rafael and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Rafael – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.