Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $4,325 in Santa Cruz, CA, rent and utilities included – about $32,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,325

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,325 per month in Santa Cruz, CA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz, CA $4,325
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $6,239 per month in Santa Cruz, CA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz, CA $6,239
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $8,152 per month in Santa Cruz, CA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz, CA $8,152
Medellin $3,190

Santa Cruz, CA costs about 168% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Cruz, CA by 220%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.97 $24.97

$7.93 COP 25.2K

214.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$46.13 COP 146.3K

117.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.15 $15.15

$9.50 COP 30.1K

59.47%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$3.11 COP 9,866

83.60%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$1.83 COP 5,800

86.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.38 COP 4,360

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.05 COP 9,672

157.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$5.50 COP 17.4K

47.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.45 COP 4,600

-4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.36 COP 7,496

100.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.80 $7.80

$1.68 COP 5,328

364.29%

Eggs

$6.16 $6.16

$2.86 COP 9,077

115.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.59 $26.59

$10.19 COP 32.3K

160.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.85 $16.85

$9.53 COP 30.2K

76.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 $17.71

$14.04 COP 44.5K

26.14%

Apples (1kg)

$7.96 $7.96

$4.07 COP 12.9K

95.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.50 COP 4,742

54.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$2.17 COP 6,891

285.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$2.31 COP 7,310

191.34%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.93 COP 6,113

126.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.64 COP 5,196

82.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.13 COP 3,571

340.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.25 COP 3,954

138.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$3.99 COP 12.6K

193.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.52 $24.52

$13.35 COP 42.3K

83.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.70 COP 5,384

27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.37 COP 7,525

36.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.21 COP 3,827

64.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-15.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.32 COP 4,179

138.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.14 COP 6,774

13.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.55 $40.55

$8.47 COP 26.8K

378.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.30 COP 4,114

18.46%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

34.13%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.21%

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

$377 $377

$172 COP 545.6K

118.97%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$13.37 COP 42.4K

340.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$28.73 COP 91.1K

133.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.3 $79.3

$45.24 COP 143.5K

75.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.55 $12.55

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-26.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 $15.76

$6.28 COP 19.9K

150.96%

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

$2,455 $2,455

$770 COP 2.4M

218.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K $29.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

226.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 $66.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-22.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.92 $48.92

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-14.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$137 COP 432.9K

-33.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$97.9 COP 310.4K

63.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 $3,054

$1,055 COP 3.3M

189.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,471 $2,471

$616 COP 2.0M

301.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,807 $4,807

$1,892 COP 6.0M

154.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,164 $4,164

$1,023 COP 3.2M

307.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,919 $7,919

$4,059 COP 12.9M

95.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K $11.3K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

571.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,511 $5,511

$652 COP 2.1M

744.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

10.94

-40.86%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: 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, CA

$2.5K 57.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 75.1% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, CA

$596 13.8%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 50.6% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, CA

$503 11.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 57.4% $289

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, CA

$392 9.1%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 57% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, CA

$165 3.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 3.2% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, CA

$111 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 47.8% $53

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, CA

$88 2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 6.4% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,054 in Santa Cruz, CA 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 745% higher in Santa Cruz, CA, 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 $100 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $596 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Cruz, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

2 h ahead of Santa Cruz, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,220

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

COP to USD in detail →

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Santa Cruz, CA Medellin 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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

Yes – Santa Cruz, CA is pricier by about 168%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,488 per month in Santa Cruz, CA 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 Medellin, 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 $100 in Santa Cruz, CA 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 $4,325 in Santa Cruz, CA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 168%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Santa Cruz, CA at $4,325. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz, 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Cruz, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.