Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rita, Paraguay and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rita: $970 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santa Rita, Paraguay
Medellin, Colombia
Santa Rita
🇵🇾 Paraguay
$970
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Santa Rita vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Santa Rita $970
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,448 per month in Santa Rita vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Santa Rita $1,448
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,927 per month in Santa Rita vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Santa Rita $1,927
  • Medellin $3,186

Santa Rita is about 41% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Rita sits 29% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.50 ₲20.9K
$8.09 COP 26.1K
-56.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.81 ₲207.6K
$47.05 COP 151.9K
-26.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
-
$9.50 COP 30.7K
-
Cappuccino
$3.42 ₲20.4K
$3.01 COP 9,735
13.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ₲5,044
$1.80 COP 5,809
-52.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₲3,218
$1.41 COP 4,561
-61.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.18 COP 10.3K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₲8,058
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-76.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 ₲6,898
$1.51 COP 4,876
-23.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.92 ₲11.5K
$2.38 COP 7,678
-19.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 ₲7,048
$1.77 COP 5,720
-33.33%
Eggs
$2.75 ₲16.4K
$2.89 COP 9,333
-4.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.94 ₲47.4K
$10.19 COP 32.9K
-22.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.27 ₲25.5K
$9.87 COP 31.9K
-56.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.06 ₲66.0K
$13.99 COP 45.2K
-20.94%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 ₲30.9K
$3.97 COP 12.8K
30.23%
Banana (1kg)
-
$1.55 COP 5,012
-
Oranges (1kg)
$3.39 ₲20.2K
$2.18 COP 7,048
55.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.18 ₲18.9K
$2.18 COP 7,051
45.87%
Potato (1kg)
$3.57 ₲21.3K
$1.96 COP 6,337
82.14%
Onion (1kg)
$2.59 ₲15.4K
$1.59 COP 5,132
62.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.91 ₲5,447
$1.15 COP 3,699
-20.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 ₲8,368
$1.24 COP 4,014
12.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$3.96 COP 12.8K
-
Wine (Bottle)
$5.17 ₲30.8K
$13.68 COP 44.2K
-62.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.66 COP 5,359
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 ₲16.1K
$2.26 COP 7,291
19.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 ₲8,091
$1.17 COP 3,771
16.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.02 ₲244.7K
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-46.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.27 COP 4,094
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.41 ₲26.3K
$2.05 COP 6,612
115.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.80 ₲22.7K
$8.55 COP 27.6K
-55.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 ₲8,406
$1.35 COP 4,349
4.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$9,540 ₲56.9M
$34.1K COP 110.0M
-72.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$34.7K COP 111.9M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$110 ₲658.9K
$170 COP 547.8K
-34.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.20 ₲144.3K
$13.55 COP 43.8K
78.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.39 ₲235.0K
$28.07 COP 90.6K
40.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.03 ₲256.7K
$43.70 COP 141.1K
-1.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.76 ₲153.7K
$17.19 COP 55.5K
49.85%
Cinema Ticket
$8.74 ₲52.2K
$6.91 COP 22.3K
26.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$79.0 ₲470.9K
$797 COP 2.6M
-90.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$9,112 COP 29.4M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.4 ₲306.7K
$84.7 COP 273.5K
-39.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$87.4 ₲521.2K
$58.0 COP 187.2K
50.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$135 COP 435.8K
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.5 ₲414.5K
$97.9 COP 316.0K
-28.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$341 ₲2.0M
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-71.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$264 ₲1.6M
$642 COP 2.1M
-58.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ₲2.5M
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-78.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$347 ₲2.1M
$1,012 COP 3.3M
-65.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Rita
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$513 ₲3.1M
$657 COP 2.1M
-21.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
10.94
-

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

Last update for Santa Rita: 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 Rita
–
Medellin
$642
Groceries & Markets
Santa Rita
–
Medellin
$297
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Rita
–
Medellin
$211
Eating Out
Santa Rita
–
Medellin
$170
Clothing & Footwear
Santa Rita
–
Medellin
$169
Getting Around
Santa Rita
–
Medellin
$94
Sport & Entertainment
Santa Rita
–
Medellin
$58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $341 in Santa Rita 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 28% higher in Medellin, 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 $35 in Santa Rita versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $297 – making Santa Rita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇾 Santa Rita
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
08:38 8:38 AM
06:38 6:38 AM
2 h behind Santa Rita
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
35,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,656 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santa Rita Medellin 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santa Rita
  • 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 Rita vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Santa Rita cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 69%, 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 $1,455 per month in Santa Rita and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Rita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $341 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Santa Rita or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Santa Rita 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 Rita and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $970 in Santa Rita and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Santa Rita about 41% cheaper.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Santa Rita or in Medellin?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Rita, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Santa Rita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Santa Rita or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Santa Rita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Santa Rita. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Santa Rita vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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