Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Aruba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,886 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Cruz despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,886

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,886 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,886
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,900 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,900
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,914 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz $3,914
Medellin $3,249

Santa Cruz costs about 11% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Santa Cruz and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Cruz by 40%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 AWG 3.94

$1.53 COP 4,930

43.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 AWG 4.73

$2.29 COP 7,370

15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 AWG 7.91

$1.94 COP 6,257

127.84%

Eggs

$4.78 AWG 8.55

$3.07 COP 9,864

55.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 AWG 14.57

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-18.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 AWG 13.77

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-26.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.75 AWG 12.08

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-51.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 AWG 8.08

$4.05 COP 13.0K

11.60%

Banana (1kg)

$4.57 AWG 8.18

$1.53 COP 4,916

198.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.12 AWG 14.54

$2.10 COP 6,769

286.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.87 AWG 12.29

$2.29 COP 7,378

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 AWG 11.99

$2.11 COP 6,785

217.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 AWG 3.39

$1.71 COP 5,498

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 AWG 5.37

$1.17 COP 3,764

156.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 AWG 8.13

$1.58 COP 5,083

187.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 AWG 18.52

$3.91 COP 12.6K

164.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.59 AWG 35.06

$14.04 COP 45.2K

39.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 AWG 4.56

$1.76 COP 5,667

44.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 AWG 5.54

$2.71 COP 8,724

14.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 AWG 3.50

$1.18 COP 3,795

66.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 AWG 276

$76.3 COP 245.4K

101.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.32 AWG 34.57

$1.81 COP 5,812

967.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 AWG 35.34

$8.13 COP 26.2K

142.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$141 AWG 252

$178 COP 571.7K

-20.91%

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

$71.3 AWG 128

$13.89 COP 44.7K

412.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$207 AWG 371

$30.74 COP 98.9K

573.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 AWG 123

$41.94 COP 134.9K

63.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.44 AWG 83.1

$16.80 COP 54.0K

176.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 AWG 15.02

$7.47 COP 24.0K

12.32%

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

$141 AWG 252

$790 COP 2.5M

-82.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.8 AWG 141

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-8.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$110 AWG 197

$59.3 COP 190.6K

85.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 251

$138 COP 445.0K

1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 AWG 245

$98.8 COP 317.8K

38.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 AWG 2,270

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 AWG 998

$667 COP 2.1M

-16.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 AWG 2,746

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 AWG 2,519

$1,033 COP 3.3M

36.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,667 AWG 6,564

$646 COP 2.1M

467.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: 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

Santa Cruz

–

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

–

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

–

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

–

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

–

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

–

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

–

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,268 in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

11:19 11:19 AM

1 h behind Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz Medellin 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,829 per month in Santa Cruz 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 $1,268 in Santa Cruz and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Santa Cruz, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,886 in Santa Cruz and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $1,886 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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