Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Tecla and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Tecla: $1,355 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,355 per month in Santa Tecla vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Tecla $1,355
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Santa Tecla vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Tecla $2,006
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,657 per month in Santa Tecla vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Tecla $2,657
Medellin $3,190

Santa Tecla is about 16% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Tecla and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Tecla by 0%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 $6.56

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-17.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.20 $44.20

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-4.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 $6.82

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-28.21%

Cappuccino

$3.50 $3.50

$3.11 COP 9,866

12.54%

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

$1.15 $1.15

$1.83 COP 5,800

-37.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.38 COP 4,360

-37.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.05 COP 9,672

-35.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-34.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.45 COP 4,600

20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.36 COP 7,496

-9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.68 COP 5,328

-14.88%

Eggs

$2.30 $2.30

$2.86 COP 9,077

-19.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-26.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-41.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-27.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-19.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.50 COP 4,742

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.17 COP 6,891

21.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.31 COP 7,310

53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.93 COP 6,113

54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.64 COP 5,196

104.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.13 COP 3,571

-15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.25 COP 3,954

-21.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-1.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.06 $12.06

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-9.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.70 COP 5,384

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.37 COP 7,525

24.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 $6.16

$1.32 COP 4,179

366.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.14 COP 6,774

42.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.27 $20.27

$8.47 COP 26.8K

139.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.30 COP 4,114

-4.62%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-9.13%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-23.82%

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

$132 $132

$172 COP 545.6K

-23.38%

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

$20.92 $20.92

$13.37 COP 42.4K

56.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 $42.31

$28.73 COP 91.1K

47.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.72 $24.72

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-45.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-19.90%

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

$160 $160

$770 COP 2.4M

-79.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,809 $4,809

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-46.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-22.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 $46.85

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-17.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$137 COP 432.9K

-14.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$97.9 COP 310.4K

17.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 $765

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-27.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$616 COP 2.0M

-10.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-36.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-13.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$406 $406

$652 COP 2.1M

-37.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

10.94

-22.30%

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

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 12.4% $68

Groceries & Markets

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 13.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 9.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 9.5% $15

Eating Out

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 20.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 66.3% $23

Getting Around

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 335% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $765 in Santa Tecla 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 61% 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 $44.00 in Santa Tecla versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $295 – making Santa Tecla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Tecla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,695

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Tecla Medellin 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,032 per month in Santa Tecla 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 Santa Tecla, 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 $44.00 in Santa Tecla and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Tecla, where all-in costs run around $1,355, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Santa Tecla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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