Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Isabel and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Isabel: $1,298 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
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Santa Isabel Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,298 per month in Santa Isabel vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Isabel $1,298
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,045 per month in Santa Isabel vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,045
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,791 per month in Santa Isabel vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,791
Medellin $3,249

Santa Isabel is about 23% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Santa Isabel sits 4% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.18 $19.18

$8.34 COP 27.0K

129.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 $82.6

$46.53 COP 150.9K

77.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 $9.06

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$3.13 COP 10.2K

15.34%

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

$1.89 $1.89

$1.77 COP 5,727

6.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.42 COP 4,619

6.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-4.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-11.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.53 COP 4,969

-14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.29 COP 7,429

48.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.94 COP 6,306

24.74%

Eggs

$6.21 $6.21

$3.07 COP 9,942

102.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 $12.41

$9.99 COP 32.4K

24.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-6.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$4.05 COP 13.1K

23.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.53 COP 4,956

66.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.10 COP 6,823

135.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.29 COP 7,437

103.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.11 COP 6,839

82.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.71 COP 5,542

126.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.17 COP 3,794

188.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.58 COP 5,123

4.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.04 $12.04

$3.91 COP 12.7K

207.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$14.04 COP 45.5K

10.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.76 COP 5,712

78.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.71 COP 8,793

45.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.81 COP 5,859

34.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$2.13 COP 6,904

-69.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.69 $39.69

$8.13 COP 26.4K

388.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.28 COP 4,135

-14.84%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

1.85%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-18.18%

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

$318 $318

$178 COP 576.3K

78.72%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$13.89 COP 45.0K

393.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$30.74 COP 99.7K

131.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.62 $10.62

$7.47 COP 24.2K

42.17%

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

$826 $826

$790 COP 2.6M

4.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-2.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-34.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$59.3 COP 192.2K

4.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$138 COP 448.6K

-22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$98.8 COP 320.4K

16.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

10.94

-40.13%

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

Last update for Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 51.4% $235

Groceries & Markets

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 22.7% $91

Eating Out

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 34.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 168% $36

Getting Around

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 1525% $88

Accommodation & Living

Santa Isabel

- * 0%

Medellin

$667 39.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Santa Isabel versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

1 h behind Santa Isabel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Santa Isabel Medellin 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,948 per month in Santa Isabel and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Santa Isabel and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,298 in Santa Isabel 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 $1,298 in Santa Isabel to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.