Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santarem and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santarem: $1,300 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,300 per month in Santarem vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Santarem $1,300
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,014 per month in Santarem vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Santarem $2,014
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,729 per month in Santarem vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Santarem $2,729
Medellin $3,190

Santarem is about 19% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santarem sits 4% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 €10.94

$7.93 COP 25.2K

55.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.39 €35.04

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-14.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 €8.00

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-5.37%

Cappuccino

$1.71 €1.52

$3.11 COP 9,866

-45.02%

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

$1.78 €1.59

$1.83 COP 5,800

-2.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.38 COP 4,360

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.05 COP 9,672

-28.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-38.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.45 COP 4,600

-21.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$2.36 COP 7,496

-80.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.68 COP 5,328

-35.12%

Eggs

$3.27 €2.91

$2.86 COP 9,077

14.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 €9.83

$10.19 COP 32.3K

8.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 €6.35

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-25.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 €11.93

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-4.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-30.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.50 COP 4,742

-9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.17 COP 6,891

15.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.31 COP 7,310

-8.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.93 COP 6,113

-27.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.64 COP 5,196

-5.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.13 COP 3,571

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 €0.28

$1.25 COP 3,954

-75.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.99 COP 12.6K

40.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-56.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.70 COP 5,384

-28.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.17

$2.37 COP 7,525

50.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.21 COP 3,827

85.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 €50.2

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-26.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 €3.14

$1.32 COP 4,179

167.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.30 COP 4,114

56.92%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

20.75%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

8.34%

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

$130 €116

$172 COP 545.6K

-24.43%

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

$20.74 €18.45

$13.37 COP 42.4K

55.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.81

$28.73 COP 91.1K

94.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.97 €33.78

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-16.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 €5.91

$6.28 COP 19.9K

5.89%

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

$416 €370

$770 COP 2.4M

-46.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

104.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 €69.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-9.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 €33.57

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-33.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-21.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$97.9 COP 310.4K

34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 €584

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-37.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 €366

$616 COP 2.0M

-33.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-44.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 €720

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-20.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,167 €1,927

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-46.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 €981

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-34.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,068 €950

$652 COP 2.1M

63.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

10.94

-56.49%

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

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santarem

$412 31.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 49.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Santarem

$226 17.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 30.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santarem

$207 15.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 3.6% $7.4

Eating Out

Santarem

$175 13.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 3.9% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Santarem

$160 12.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 6.4% $10

Getting Around

Santarem

$69 * 5.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 35.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Santarem

$51 4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 12.8% $6.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $656 in Santarem 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 64% higher in Santarem, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Santarem versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $295 – making Santarem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Santarem

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

20:03 8:03 PM

6 h behind Santarem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,671

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santarem Medellin 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Santarem
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

Santarem vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,949 per month in Santarem 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 Santarem, 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 $39.00 in Santarem 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 $1,300 in Santarem and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santarem, where all-in costs run around $1,300, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Santarem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santarem – 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 Santarem. 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.