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

😐 Solo nomad: Santiago is 18% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 24.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santiago is 25.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 30.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.60 CLP 9,342
$6.03 COP 22.7K
75.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.5 CLP 48.0K
$33.17 COP 124.8K
64.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.19 CLP 7,221
$7.29 COP 27.4K
12.35%
Cappuccino
$3.26 CLP 2,874
$1.63 COP 6,133
100.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 CLP 1,496
$1.05 COP 3,947
61.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 CLP 1,152
$0.77 COP 2,899
70.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 CLP 2,808
$1.73 COP 6,510
84.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.23 CLP 3,726
$3.18 COP 12.0K
33.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 CLP 1,078
$1.07 COP 4,015
14.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 CLP 1,349
$1.31 COP 4,935
16.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 CLP 1,924
$1.38 COP 5,195
57.97%
Eggs
$4.03 CLP 3,550
$2.25 COP 8,457
79.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.61 CLP 9,354
$4.48 COP 16.9K
136.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.84 CLP 6,025
$5.74 COP 21.6K
19.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.00 CLP 9,691
$8.86 COP 33.3K
24.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 CLP 1,780
$2.24 COP 8,438
-9.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 CLP 1,366
$1.06 COP 3,988
46.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.13 CLP 1,878
$1.51 COP 5,697
41.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 CLP 1,704
$1.36 COP 5,119
41.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 CLP 1,709
$1.12 COP 4,218
73.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 CLP 1,414
$1.17 COP 4,400
36.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 CLP 1,134
$0.90 COP 3,395
43.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 CLP 1,050
$0.84 COP 3,150
41.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.60 CLP 4,937
$2.26 COP 8,501
147.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.74 CLP 5,944
$9.97 COP 37.5K
-32.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 CLP 1,362
$1.18 COP 4,451
31.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 CLP 2,286
$2.39 COP 8,993
8.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 CLP 759
$0.86 COP 3,233
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.11 CLP 37.1K
$41.45 COP 156.0K
1.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 CLP 422
$1.47 COP 5,521
-67.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 CLP 1,285
$1.95 COP 7,323
-25.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.38 CLP 10.0K
$7.76 COP 29.2K
46.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 CLP 1,269
$0.97 COP 3,640
48.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K CLP 17.0M
$17.9K COP 67.5M
7.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K CLP 19.7M
$26.7K COP 100.6M
-16.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 CLP 118.2K
$81.1 COP 305.2K
65.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.54 CLP 11.9K
$9.40 COP 35.4K
44.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.89 CLP 19.3K
$23.61 COP 88.8K
-7.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.19 CLP 30.1K
$25.55 COP 96.1K
33.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 CLP 18.7K
$19.29 COP 72.6K
10.26%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 CLP 5,637
$4.10 COP 15.4K
56.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$429 CLP 378.2K
$306 COP 1.2M
40.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,485 CLP 7.5M
$5,899 COP 22.2M
43.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.5 CLP 49.8K
$59.8 COP 225.1K
-5.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.83 CLP 28.9K
$31.96 COP 120.3K
2.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.3 CLP 68.1K
$103 COP 386.5K
-24.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.5 CLP 73.5K
$108 COP 405.9K
-22.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$519 CLP 457.2K
$483 COP 1.8M
7.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 CLP 400.5K
$377 COP 1.4M
20.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$993 CLP 875.3K
$822 COP 3.1M
20.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 CLP 796.8K
$721 COP 2.7M
25.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,854 CLP 2.5M
$2,784 COP 10.5M
2.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,034 CLP 2.7M
$1,320 COP 5.0M
129.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santiago
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$849 CLP 748.1K
$538 COP 2.0M
57.89%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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