Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Lucia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucia: $1,276 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Lucia
Learn more

Santa Lucia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Lucia

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,276

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,276 per month in Santa Lucia vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Lucia $1,276
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,819 per month in Santa Lucia vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Lucia $1,819
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,361 per month in Santa Lucia vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Lucia $2,361
Medellin $3,186

Santa Lucia is about 22% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Santa Lucia sits 6% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.83 CUP 236

$8.09 COP 26.1K

21.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.34 CUP 728

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-35.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 CUP 167

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-26.53%

Cappuccino

$3.35 CUP 80.5

$3.01 COP 9,735

11.30%

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

$1.11 CUP 26.66

$1.80 COP 5,809

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 CUP 22.18

$1.41 COP 4,561

-34.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 CUP 48.84

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-35.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 CUP 71.1

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-48.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 CUP 46.07

$1.51 COP 4,876

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 CUP 44.95

$2.38 COP 7,678

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 CUP 36.83

$1.77 COP 5,720

-13.56%

Eggs

$3.60 CUP 86.4

$2.89 COP 9,333

24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 CUP 149

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-39.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 CUP 142

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-40.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 CUP 268

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 CUP 65.9

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-30.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 CUP 37.59

$1.55 COP 5,012

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 CUP 49.49

$2.18 COP 7,048

-5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 CUP 52.6

$2.18 COP 7,051

0.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 CUP 46.77

$1.96 COP 6,337

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CUP 42.87

$1.59 COP 5,132

12.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 CUP 24.46

$1.15 COP 3,699

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 CUP 24.62

$1.24 COP 4,014

-16.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 CUP 95.3

$3.96 COP 12.8K

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 CUP 291

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CUP 39.10

$1.66 COP 5,359

-1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 CUP 56.7

$2.26 COP 7,291

4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 CUP 5.00

$1.17 COP 3,771

-82.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.63 CUP 591

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-68.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CUP 78.5

$1.27 COP 4,094

157.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 CUP 9.18

$2.05 COP 6,612

-81.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.19 CUP 365

$8.55 COP 27.6K

77.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 CUP 24.46

$1.35 COP 4,349

-24.44%

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

$69.8K CUP 1.7M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

105.03%

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

$80.4K CUP 1.9M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

131.95%

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

$34.72 CUP 833

$170 COP 547.8K

-79.53%

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

$14.96 CUP 359

$13.55 COP 43.8K

10.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$251 CUP 6,021

$28.07 COP 90.6K

793.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.36 CUP 969

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-7.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 CUP 355

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-14.02%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 CUP 24.50

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-85.24%

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

$164 CUP 3,939

$797 COP 2.6M

-79.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,059 CUP 97.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-55.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 CUP 1,691

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-16.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CUP 1,321

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-5.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CUP 2,416

$135 COP 435.8K

-25.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CUP 2,546

$97.9 COP 316.0K

8.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 CUP 13.1K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 CUP 8,245

$642 COP 2.1M

-46.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 CUP 18.1K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-62.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 CUP 12.0K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-50.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$334 CUP 8,024

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-91.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$368 CUP 8,836

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-80.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$55.8 CUP 1,338

$657 COP 2.1M

-91.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

10.94

-54.84%

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

Last update for Santa Lucia: 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 Lucia

$344 26.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 86.7% $298

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Lucia

$301 23.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 29.7% $89

Groceries & Markets

Santa Lucia

$245 19.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 21% $52

Eating Out

Santa Lucia

$164 12.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 3.4% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Lucia

$150 11.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 13% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Lucia

$42 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 35.7% $15

Getting Around

Santa Lucia

$31 2.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 205% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $548 in Santa Lucia 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 Medellin are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Santa Lucia versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $297 – making Santa Lucia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Santa Lucia

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

Same time as Santa Lucia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.78 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Lucia Medellin 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Lucia
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,914 per month in Santa Lucia 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 Lucia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $548 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Santa Lucia and $47 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 $1,276 in Santa Lucia and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Santa Lucia about 22% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Lucia, where all-in costs run around $1,276, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Santa Lucia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Lucia – 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 Lucia. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.