Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Monica, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, rent and utilities included – about $33,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

214

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Monica, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,430

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,430 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $4,430
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $6,581 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $6,581
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $8,732 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $8,732
Medellin $3,190

Santa Monica, CA costs about 174% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Monica, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Monica, CA by 228%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.77 $26.77

$7.93 COP 25.2K

237.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$46.13 COP 146.3K

156.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$9.50 COP 30.1K

56.63%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$3.11 COP 9,866

90.68%

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

$3.26 $3.26

$1.83 COP 5,800

78.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.38 COP 4,360

73.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.05 COP 9,672

166.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$5.50 COP 17.4K

80.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.45 COP 4,600

-7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.36 COP 7,496

93.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.68 COP 5,328

176.79%

Eggs

$5.73 $5.73

$2.86 COP 9,077

100.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.77 $15.77

$10.19 COP 32.3K

54.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$9.53 COP 30.2K

49.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.80 $19.80

$14.04 COP 44.5K

41.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$4.07 COP 12.9K

16.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.50 COP 4,742

52.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.17 COP 6,891

82.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.31 COP 7,310

135.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.93 COP 6,113

71.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.64 COP 5,196

72.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.13 COP 3,571

89.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.25 COP 3,954

98.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$3.99 COP 12.6K

189.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.35 COP 42.3K

14.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.70 COP 5,384

42.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.37 COP 7,525

29.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.21 COP 3,827

108.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 $67.0

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-12.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.32 COP 4,179

138.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.14 COP 6,774

-11.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.68 $32.68

$8.47 COP 26.8K

285.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.30 COP 4,114

11.54%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

31.47%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.80%

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

$218 $218

$172 COP 545.6K

26.56%

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

$46.37 $46.37

$13.37 COP 42.4K

246.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 $65.1

$28.73 COP 91.1K

126.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 $70.7

$45.24 COP 143.5K

56.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.11 $44.11

$17.04 COP 54.0K

158.86%

Cinema Ticket

$19.36 $19.36

$6.28 COP 19.9K

208.28%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$770 COP 2.4M

119.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

260.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 $88.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

2.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 $54.8

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-4.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$137 COP 432.9K

-23.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$97.9 COP 310.4K

24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,328 $3,328

$1,055 COP 3.3M

215.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 $2,860

$616 COP 2.0M

364.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,804 $5,804

$1,892 COP 6.0M

206.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,048 $5,048

$1,023 COP 3.2M

393.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

167.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,924 $7,924

$1,678 COP 5.3M

372.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,900 $6,900

$652 COP 2.1M

957.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

10.94

-39.49%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Monica, CA

$2.9K 64.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 78.5% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Monica, CA

$462 10.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 36.2% $167

Eating Out

Santa Monica, CA

$413 9.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 59.2% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Monica, CA

$329 7.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 35% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Monica, CA

$166 3.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 2.4% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Monica, CA

$109 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 47.2% $52

Getting Around

Santa Monica, CA

$90 2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,328 in Santa Monica, 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 958% higher in Santa Monica, 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 $118 in Santa Monica, CA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $462 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Monica, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

2 h ahead of Santa Monica, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,736

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 Monica, CA Medellin 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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

Yes – Santa Monica, CA is pricier by about 174%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,645 per month in Santa Monica, 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 $118 in Santa Monica, 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 $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 174%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Santa Monica, CA at $4,430. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Monica, 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Monica, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.