Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Medellin, Colombia
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,048
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,048 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,048
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,946 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,946
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,845 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,845
  • Medellin $3,186

Santa Cruz de Tenerife costs about 25% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 50%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 €18.26
$8.09 COP 25.4K
151.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.8 €54.6
$47.05 COP 148.0K
29.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.00 €9.88
$9.50 COP 29.9K
15.79%
Cappuccino
$1.99 €1.79
$3.01 COP 9,485
-33.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.68
$1.80 COP 5,660
3.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 €1.11
$1.41 COP 4,443
-12.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.81 €2.53
$3.18 COP 9,990
-11.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 €2.95
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-42.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 €1.24
$1.51 COP 4,751
-8.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 €2.21
$2.38 COP 7,480
3.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 €1.43
$1.77 COP 5,573
-10.17%
Eggs
$4.13 €3.71
$2.89 COP 9,093
42.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.32 €17.35
$10.19 COP 32.1K
89.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.01 €8.99
$9.87 COP 31.1K
1.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.56 €15.77
$13.99 COP 44.0K
25.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 €2.50
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-29.72%
Banana (1kg)
$2.32 €2.08
$1.55 COP 4,883
49.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 €1.95
$2.18 COP 6,867
-0.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.31
$2.18 COP 6,870
17.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.12 €1.90
$1.96 COP 6,174
8.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 €1.74
$1.59 COP 5,000
22.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.68 €1.51
$1.15 COP 3,604
46.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 €0.89
$1.24 COP 3,911
-20.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.60 €5.03
$3.96 COP 12.5K
41.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.92 €7.11
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-42.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 €1.45
$1.66 COP 5,221
-3.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 €1.58
$2.26 COP 7,103
-22.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 €1.23
$1.17 COP 3,674
17.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.15 €39.66
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-42.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.20 €3.78
$1.27 COP 3,989
230.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.65 €1.48
$2.05 COP 6,442
-19.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.09 €15.35
$8.55 COP 26.9K
99.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.63 €1.46
$1.35 COP 4,237
20.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K €32.1K
$34.1K COP 107.2M
4.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.0K €27.9K
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-10.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$126 €113
$170 COP 533.7K
-25.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.43 €20.15
$13.55 COP 42.6K
65.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.25 €31.66
$28.07 COP 88.3K
25.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.22
$43.70 COP 137.5K
17.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.64 €10.45
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-32.29%
Cinema Ticket
$9.74 €8.75
$6.91 COP 21.7K
40.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$408 €367
$797 COP 2.5M
-48.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,972 €4,466
$9,112 COP 28.7M
-45.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.3 €82.0
$84.7 COP 266.5K
7.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.34 €37.14
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-28.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.5 €80.4
$135 COP 424.6K
-33.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 €102
$97.9 COP 307.9K
16.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,166 €1,047
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-3.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,000 €898
$642 COP 2.0M
55.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,833 €1,646
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-9.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,422 €1,277
$1,012 COP 3.2M
40.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,984 €3,579
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-4.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,266 €2,036
$1,910 COP 6.0M
18.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,852 €1,664
$657 COP 2.1M
181.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
10.94
-67.46%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$1,000
Medellin
$642 35.8% $358
Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$328
Medellin
$297 9.3% $31
Eating Out
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$253
Medellin
$170 32.9% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$184
Medellin
$211 15% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$151
Medellin
$169 11.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$71
Medellin
$58 18.9% $13
Getting Around
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$62
Medellin
$94 50.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 Cruz de Tenerife are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
23:17 11:17 PM
18:17 6:17 PM
5 h behind Santa Cruz de Tenerife
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
209,395
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santa Cruz de Tenerife Medellin 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santa Cruz de Tenerife
  • 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 de Tenerife vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
Yes – Santa Cruz de Tenerife is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,072 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Medellin?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Is eating out cheaper in Santa Cruz de Tenerife or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 20% cheaper.
Is $2,500 enough for either Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Medellin?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Santa Cruz de Tenerife or in Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Cruz de Tenerife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?