Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Louis, MO and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,638 in St. Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in St. Louis, MO
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St. Louis, MO Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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St. Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,638

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,638 per month in St. Louis, MO vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

St. Louis, MO $2,638
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,840 per month in St. Louis, MO vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

St. Louis, MO $3,840
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $5,042 per month in St. Louis, MO vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

St. Louis, MO $5,042
Medellin $3,249

St. Louis, MO costs about 56% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Louis, MO and Medellin sit above the global median – St. Louis, MO by 95%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 $18.72

$8.34 COP 26.8K

124.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$46.53 COP 149.7K

63.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 $11.18

$9.47 COP 30.5K

18.06%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$3.13 COP 10.1K

67.09%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$1.77 COP 5,681

41.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.42 COP 4,582

38.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.15 COP 10.1K

88.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$5.70 COP 18.3K

24.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.53 COP 4,930

-35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.29 COP 7,370

52.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.94 COP 6,257

125.26%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$3.07 COP 9,864

32.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$9.99 COP 32.1K

23.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$10.45 COP 33.6K

11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$13.96 COP 44.9K

9.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$4.05 COP 13.0K

20.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.53 COP 4,916

2.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.10 COP 6,769

105.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.29 COP 7,378

101.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.11 COP 6,785

35.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.71 COP 5,498

60.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.17 COP 3,764

73.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.58 COP 5,083

32.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$3.91 COP 12.6K

141.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 $14.04

$14.04 COP 45.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.76 COP 5,667

3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.71 COP 8,724

24.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.18 COP 3,795

70.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-22.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.81 COP 5,812

98.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.13 COP 6,849

-25.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.61 $29.61

$8.13 COP 26.2K

264.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.28 COP 4,102

-30.47%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-13.53%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-25.31%

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

$184 $184

$178 COP 571.7K

3.63%

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

$53.0 $53.0

$13.89 COP 44.7K

281.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$30.74 COP 98.9K

123.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.51 $43.51

$41.94 COP 134.9K

3.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 $13.76

$7.47 COP 24.0K

84.20%

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

$1,306 $1,306

$790 COP 2.5M

65.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

90.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-40.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.43 $39.43

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-33.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$138 COP 445.0K

-36.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$98.8 COP 317.8K

12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$1,341 COP 4.3M

21.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$667 COP 2.1M

103.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,666 $2,666

$1,976 COP 6.4M

34.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$1,033 COP 3.3M

113.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-32.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,940 COP 6.2M

28.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

10.94

-40.49%

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

Last update for St. Louis, MO: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Louis, MO

$1.4K 51.5%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 50.9% $692

Groceries & Markets

St. Louis, MO

$385 14.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 20.2% $78

Eating Out

St. Louis, MO

$308 11.7%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 43.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Louis, MO

$306 11.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 27.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

St. Louis, MO

$130 4.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 32.2% $42

Getting Around

St. Louis, MO

$79 3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 19% $15

Sport & Entertainment

St. Louis, MO

$71 2.7%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 19.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in St. Louis, MO versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in St. Louis, MO versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Louis, MO

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

1 h ahead of St. Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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St. Louis, MO Medellin 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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

St. Louis, MO vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Louis, MO is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,957 per month in St. Louis, MO and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $1,632 in St. Louis, MO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in St. Louis, MO and $47 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 $2,638 in St. Louis, MO and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 36% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in St. Louis, MO at $2,638. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Louis, MO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.