Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Santiago is 22.6% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 27.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santiago is 30.5% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 31.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.98 CLP 10.2K
$6.23 COP 26K
76.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 CLP 50K
$32.34 COP 134.8K
66.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.21 CLP 7,636
$7.39 COP 30.8K
11.10%
Cappuccino
$3.23 CLP 3,004
$1.72 COP 7,155
87.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 CLP 1,645
$1.1 COP 4,575
60.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 CLP 1,215
$0.73 COP 3,060
79.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 CLP 2,958
$1.66 COP 6,916
91.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.33 CLP 4,029
$3.2 COP 13.3K
35.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 CLP 1,107
$1.09 COP 4,552
9.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 CLP 1,404
$1.24 COP 5,188
21.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.2 CLP 2,043
$1.33 COP 5,544
65.41%
Eggs
$4.05 CLP 3,770
$2.22 COP 9,252
82.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.28 CLP 9,556
$4.55 COP 19K
125.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.8 CLP 6,325
$5.71 COP 23.8K
19.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.01 CLP 10.2K
$8.59 COP 35.8K
28.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 CLP 1,905
$2.26 COP 9,410
-9.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 CLP 1,435
$1.07 COP 4,461
43.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.04 CLP 1,901
$1.51 COP 6,293
35.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.85 CLP 1,722
$1.42 COP 5,911
30.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 CLP 1,752
$1.11 COP 4,619
69.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 CLP 1,563
$1.18 COP 4,932
42.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 CLP 1,241
$0.89 COP 3,718
49.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 CLP 1,093
$0.84 COP 3,507
40.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.55 CLP 5,159
$2.35 COP 9,809
136.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.27 CLP 5,832
$9.34 COP 38.9K
-32.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 CLP 1,483
$1.18 COP 4,927
34.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 CLP 2,363
$2.49 COP 10.4K
2.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.9 CLP 837
$0.83 COP 3,464
8.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.21 CLP 39.3K
$41.9 COP 174.7K
0.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.51 CLP 478
$1.41 COP 5,899
-63.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 CLP 1,367
$1.96 COP 8,164
-25.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.63 CLP 10.8K
$7.85 COP 32.7K
48.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 CLP 1,337
$1.02 COP 4,265
41.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K CLP 18.1M
$17.6K COP 73.4M
10.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23K CLP 21.4M
$26.2K COP 109.2M
-12.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 CLP 124.6K
$82.5 COP 344.1K
62.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 CLP 12.7K
$9.44 COP 39.4K
44.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.36 CLP 20.8K
$23.51 COP 98K
-4.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.96 CLP 31.6K
$25.68 COP 107.1K
32.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.81 CLP 19.3K
$19.14 COP 79.8K
8.73%
Cinema Ticket
$6.38 CLP 5,931
$3.96 COP 16.5K
61.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$429 CLP 398.8K
$305 COP 1.3M
40.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,448 CLP 7.9M
$5,925 COP 24.7M
42.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 CLP 51.5K
$57.9 COP 241.4K
-4.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.36 CLP 31K
$31.59 COP 131.7K
5.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 CLP 70.2K
$103 COP 430.1K
-26.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.1 CLP 78.2K
$106 COP 440.5K
-20.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$503 CLP 467.6K
$489 COP 2M
2.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$463 CLP 430.5K
$379 COP 1.6M
22.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$992 CLP 922.3K
$827 COP 3.4M
19.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$905 CLP 841.5K
$729 COP 3M
24.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,650 CLP 2.5M
$2,190 COP 9.1M
20.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,549 CLP 3.3M
$1,532 COP 6.4M
131.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$837 CLP 778.3K
$550 COP 2.3M
52.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.18
13.43
-61.43%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 27, 2025

Last update for Medellin: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.