Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Spanish Town vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Spanish Town $1,009
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,922 per month in Spanish Town vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Spanish Town $1,922
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,834 per month in Spanish Town vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Spanish Town $2,834
Medellin $3,186

Spanish Town is about 38% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Spanish Town sits 26% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 JMD 2,158

$8.09 COP 25.4K

69.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

57.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 JMD 1,328

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-11.37%

Cappuccino

$5.23 JMD 824

$3.01 COP 9,485

73.75%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$1.80 COP 5,660

-35.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$1.41 COP 4,443

-47.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$3.18 COP 9,990

-31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 499

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-44.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.21 JMD 665

$1.51 COP 4,751

178.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 JMD 582

$2.38 COP 7,480

55.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.77 COP 5,573

-7.34%

Eggs

$3.53 JMD 557

$2.89 COP 9,093

22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 JMD 1,801

$10.19 COP 32.1K

12.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,000

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-35.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 JMD 1,604

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-27.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$3.97 COP 12.5K

52.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 602

$1.55 COP 4,883

146.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.56 JMD 1,193

$2.18 COP 6,867

246.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 JMD 469

$2.18 COP 6,870

36.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 509

$1.96 COP 6,174

64.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 JMD 320

$1.59 COP 5,000

27.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 493

$1.15 COP 3,604

172.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 229

$1.24 COP 3,911

17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 JMD 1,510

$3.96 COP 12.5K

141.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 JMD 1,804

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 455

$1.66 COP 5,222

73.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 JMD 616

$2.26 COP 7,104

73.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 202

$1.27 COP 3,989

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 JMD 490

$2.05 COP 6,442

51.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 JMD 979

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-27.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 JMD 222

$1.35 COP 4,237

4.44%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

29.27%

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

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-6.19%

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

$171 JMD 26.9K

$170 COP 533.7K

0.65%

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

$28.96 JMD 4,567

$13.55 COP 42.6K

113.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 JMD 8,298

$28.07 COP 88.3K

87.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 JMD 2,101

$6.91 COP 21.7K

92.76%

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

$360 JMD 56.8K

$797 COP 2.5M

-54.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-8.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.26 JMD 3,667

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-72.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 JMD 5,038

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-44.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

$135 COP 424.6K

-41.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 JMD 98.4K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-69.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 JMD 80.9K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-49.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,178 JMD 185.7K

$657 COP 2.1M

79.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

10.94

-13.62%

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

Last update for Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Spanish Town

$383 38%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.6% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$252 25%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 16.3% $41

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$222 22%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 23.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$107 10.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 57.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 116% $31

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 457% $77

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 79% higher in Spanish Town, 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 $74 in Spanish Town versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

Same time as Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spanish Town Medellin 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Spanish Town
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

Spanish Town vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,514 per month in Spanish Town and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Spanish Town and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,009 in Spanish Town and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,009 in Spanish Town to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.