Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Fe: $1,077 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe
Learn more

Santa Fe Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,077

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Santa Fe vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Fe $1,077
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,662 per month in Santa Fe vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Fe $1,662
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,247 per month in Santa Fe vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Fe $2,247
Medellin $3,186

Santa Fe is about 34% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Fe sits 21% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.16 ARS 15.6K

$8.09 COP 25.4K

25.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-19.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 ARS 19.0K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

30.00%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ARS 2,644

$3.01 COP 9,485

-42.86%

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

$1.48 ARS 2,274

$1.80 COP 5,660

-17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ARS 2,054

$1.41 COP 4,443

-4.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 ARS 5,337

$3.18 COP 9,990

9.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 ARS 7,738

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-12.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 ARS 1,561

$1.51 COP 4,751

-33.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ARS 2,399

$2.38 COP 7,480

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ARS 1,575

$1.77 COP 5,573

-42.37%

Eggs

$1.54 ARS 2,375

$2.89 COP 9,093

-46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.17 ARS 12.6K

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-19.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 ARS 9,287

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-38.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.32 ARS 15.9K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-26.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,073

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-49.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ARS 2,325

$1.55 COP 4,883

-2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ARS 1,344

$2.18 COP 6,867

-60.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ARS 3,854

$2.18 COP 6,870

15.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ARS 895

$1.96 COP 6,174

-70.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ARS 1,047

$1.59 COP 5,000

-57.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ARS 1,631

$1.15 COP 3,604

-7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ARS 1,644

$1.24 COP 3,911

-13.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ARS 4,875

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-19.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 ARS 7,440

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-64.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ARS 1,940

$1.66 COP 5,221

-24.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ARS 3,280

$2.26 COP 7,103

-5.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ARS 1,640

$1.17 COP 3,674

-8.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 ARS 1,505

$1.27 COP 3,989

-22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,509

$2.05 COP 6,442

-52.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ARS 1,770

$1.35 COP 4,237

-14.81%

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

$19.8K ARS 30.5M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-41.84%

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

$29.7K ARS 45.7M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-14.26%

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

$59.6 ARS 91.7K

$170 COP 533.7K

-64.87%

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

$19.80 ARS 30.5K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

46.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.28 ARS 32.7K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-24.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 ARS 52.2K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-22.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.38 ARS 29.8K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

12.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ARS 7,550

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-28.94%

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

$260 ARS 400.2K

$797 COP 2.5M

-67.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,522 ARS 7.0M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-50.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 ARS 133.6K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

5.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ARS 176.2K

$135 COP 424.6K

-15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 ARS 218.3K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

45.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 776.9K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-58.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ARS 561.9K

$642 COP 2.0M

-43.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 ARS 1.4M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-53.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 ARS 915.2K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-41.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,271 ARS 2.0M

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-33.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$854 ARS 1.3M

$657 COP 2.1M

29.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

10.94

814.08%

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

Last update for Santa Fe: 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 Fe

$365 33.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 75.6% $276

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe

$197 18.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 50.6% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe

$182 16.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 7.1% $13

Eating Out

Santa Fe

$178 16.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 4.5% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe

$101 9.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 110% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe

$44 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 31.5% $14

Getting Around

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 822% $83

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $505 in Santa Fe 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 run about 30% higher in Santa Fe, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Santa Fe versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $297 – making Santa Fe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h behind Santa Fe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

391,164

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Fe Medellin 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,615 per month in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Santa Fe and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,077 in Santa Fe and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Fe – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.