Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clarita, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,884 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clarita, CA
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Santa Clarita, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,884

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,884 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $3,884
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $5,163 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $5,163
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,442 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $6,442
Medellin $3,186

Santa Clarita, CA costs about 137% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Clarita, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Clarita, CA by 185%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$8.09 COP 25.4K

145.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.1 $98.1

$47.05 COP 148.0K

108.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.17 $15.17

$9.50 COP 29.9K

59.68%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$3.01 COP 9,485

104.65%

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

$3.58 $3.58

$1.80 COP 5,660

98.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.41 COP 4,443

110.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 $7.80

$3.18 COP 9,990

145.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$5.75 COP 18.1K

52.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.51 COP 4,751

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.38 COP 7,480

71.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.77 COP 5,573

181.36%

Eggs

$4.95 $4.95

$2.89 COP 9,093

71.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$10.19 COP 32.1K

91.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 $8.07

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-18.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 $16.68

$13.99 COP 44.0K

19.23%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$3.97 COP 12.5K

63.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.55 COP 4,883

26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.18 COP 6,867

41.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.18 COP 6,870

35.32%

Potato (1kg)

$8.86 $8.86

$1.96 COP 6,174

352.04%

Onion (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.59 COP 5,000

194.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.15 COP 3,604

203.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.24 COP 3,911

116.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$3.96 COP 12.5K

200.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.03 $16.03

$13.68 COP 43.0K

17.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.66 COP 5,221

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.26 COP 7,103

94.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.17 COP 3,674

111.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.34 $27.34

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-64.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.27 COP 3,989

122.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.05 COP 6,442

20.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 $60.4

$8.55 COP 26.9K

606.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.35 COP 4,237

-5.93%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-32.54%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.26%

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

$223 $223

$170 COP 533.7K

31.28%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$13.55 COP 42.6K

309.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$28.07 COP 88.3K

157.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 $36.54

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-16.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.26 $25.26

$17.19 COP 54.1K

46.95%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.91 COP 21.7K

106.37%

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

$1,451 $1,451

$797 COP 2.5M

82.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K $36.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

304.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 $73.6

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-13.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.31 $27.31

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-52.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 $73.1

$135 COP 424.6K

-45.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$97.9 COP 307.9K

13.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,827 $2,827

$1,208 COP 3.8M

134.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$642 COP 2.0M

286.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$2,028 COP 6.4M

90.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,261 $3,261

$1,012 COP 3.2M

222.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 $3,653

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-12.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,227 $4,227

$1,910 COP 6.0M

121.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,249 $5,249

$657 COP 2.1M

698.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

10.94

-40.68%

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

Last update for Santa Clarita, 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

Santa Clarita, CA

$2.5K 63.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 74.2% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clarita, CA

$444 11.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 33.1% $147

Eating Out

Santa Clarita, CA

$361 9.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 53.1% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clarita, CA

$351 9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 39.7% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clarita, CA

$128 3.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 31.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clarita, CA

$65 1.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 11.6% $7.5

Getting Around

Santa Clarita, CA

$52 1.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 78.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,827 in Santa Clarita, 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 Santa Clarita, CA are about 8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $444 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Clarita, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

2 h ahead of Santa Clarita, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

182,371

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Santa Clarita, CA Medellin 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Santa Clarita, CA
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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

Santa Clarita, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Clarita, CA is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,826 per month in Santa Clarita, 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 $2,827 in Santa Clarita, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Santa Clarita, 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 $3,884 in Santa Clarita, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 58% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Santa Clarita, CA at $3,884. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Clarita, 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, Santa Clarita, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.