San Francisco vs Medellín Cost of Living

San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1Medellín (Colombia) · Overall index 28.3

Summary

  • Overall, Medellín is 70% cheaper than San Francisco.
  • Rent in Medellín is 80% cheaper than in San Francisco.
  • Transport in Medellín is 73% cheaper than in San Francisco.
ItemSan FranciscoMedellínDiff
Rent-80%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$3,208$723-77%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,609$493-81%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$7,487$1,419-81%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$4,864$898-82%
Groceries-64%
Milk (1L)$1.31$0.48-63%
White bread (500g)$4.2$1.41-66%
Rice (1kg)$5.82$2.07-64%
Eggs (12)$4.57$1.65-64%
Local cheese (1kg)$16.3$5.47-66%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$12.6$5.22-59%
Beef round (1kg)$22.3$7.93-64%
Apples (1kg)$5.88$1.9-68%
Bananas (1kg)$2.46$0.7-72%
Oranges (1kg)$4.54$1.57-65%
Tomatoes (1kg)$5.5$2.14-61%
Potatoes (1kg)$3.06$1.12-63%
Onions (1kg)$2.72$0.96-65%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.75$0.91-67%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.41$0.93-61%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$15.4$6.22-60%
Transport-73%
Public transport, one-way ticket$3.1$0.76-75%
Public transport, monthly pass$139$36.9-73%
Taxi, base fare$4.48$1.15-74%
Taxi, per km$1.91$0.54-72%
Gasoline (1L)$0.99$0.31-69%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$27,640$7,832-72%
Dining out-70%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$21.5$7.07-67%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$115$36.6-68%
Fast food combo meal$11.6$3.42-71%
Cappuccino$5.52$1.79-68%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$3.04$0.84-72%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$8.59$2.24-74%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$8.71$2.76-68%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$2.32$0.65-72%
Telecom-60%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$68.5$28.7-58%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$71.8$26.6-63%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.37$0.16-57%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$15.8$6.25-60%
Utilities & household-66%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$176$56.8-68%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.23$0.09-61%
Tap water (1m³)$5.1$1.6-69%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.47$0.54-63%
Waste collection (monthly)$25.8$8.16-68%
Fitness club (monthly)$94.8$29.5-69%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$17.5$5.13-71%
Men's haircut$33.2$12.9-61%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$29.6$10.4-65%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$2,199$869-60%

3,249 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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