Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/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 $639 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz $639
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,172
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,704 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,704
Medellin $3,190

Santa Cruz is about 60% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Cruz sits 53% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 BOB 23.19

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-74.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.80 BOB 195

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-63.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 BOB 59.2

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-46.32%

Cappuccino

$1.77 BOB 20.52

$3.11 COP 9,866

-43.09%

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

$0.49 BOB 5.72

$1.83 COP 5,800

-73.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 BOB 4.97

$1.38 COP 4,360

-68.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 BOB 9.97

$3.05 COP 9,672

-71.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 BOB 14.35

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-77.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 BOB 8.23

$1.45 COP 4,600

-51.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 BOB 10.88

$2.36 COP 7,496

-60.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BOB 11.93

$1.68 COP 5,328

-38.69%

Eggs

$1.06 BOB 12.27

$2.86 COP 9,077

-62.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.15 BOB 36.56

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-69.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 BOB 29.92

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-72.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 BOB 57.8

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-64.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 BOB 21.12

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-55.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 BOB 7.24

$1.50 COP 4,742

-58.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 BOB 8.81

$2.17 COP 6,891

-64.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 BOB 8.48

$2.31 COP 7,310

-68.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 BOB 8.55

$1.93 COP 6,113

-61.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 BOB 7.75

$1.64 COP 5,196

-59.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 BOB 6.66

$1.13 COP 3,571

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BOB 7.36

$1.25 COP 3,954

-49.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 BOB 22.25

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-51.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.32 BOB 50.2

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-67.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 BOB 11.86

$1.70 COP 5,384

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BOB 19.01

$2.37 COP 7,525

-30.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 BOB 2.78

$1.21 COP 3,827

-80.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.48 BOB 261

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-70.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BOB 19.05

$1.32 COP 4,179

24.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BOB 10.58

$2.14 COP 6,774

-57.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 BOB 73.3

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-25.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 BOB 6.59

$1.30 COP 4,114

-56.15%

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

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-49.75%

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

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-45.61%

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

$34.84 BOB 405

$172 COP 545.6K

-79.75%

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

$19.67 BOB 228

$13.37 COP 42.4K

47.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.53 BOB 204

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-38.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.56 BOB 227

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-56.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 BOB 149

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-24.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 BOB 68.1

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-6.69%

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

$112 BOB 1,303

$770 COP 2.4M

-85.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-67.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.21 BOB 316

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-68.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.79 BOB 416

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-37.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 BOB 769

$137 COP 432.9K

-51.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 BOB 677

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-40.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 BOB 3,105

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-74.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 BOB 2,869

$616 COP 2.0M

-59.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 BOB 10.6K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-51.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 BOB 9,630

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-18.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-68.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$737 BOB 8,551

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-56.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 BOB 3,204

$652 COP 2.1M

-57.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.17

10.94

-43.60%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: 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

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 149% $369

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 163% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 102% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 197% $142

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 168% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 84.8% $27

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 215% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Santa Cruz 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 136% 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 $17.00 in Santa Cruz versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $295 – making Santa Cruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

1 h behind Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 BOB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz Medellin 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 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 – Medellin is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $959 per month in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz, 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 $17.00 in Santa Cruz 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 $639 in Santa Cruz and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 152%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz – 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 Santa Cruz. 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.