Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Costa Rica despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 25.4% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 9.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 24.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 17.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 ₡5,312

$8.01 COP 25.5K

47.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 ₡25.0K

$46.55 COP 148.3K

19.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 ₡4,831

$9.43 COP 30.1K

13.68%

Cappuccino

$4.49 ₡2,023

$2.91 COP 9,277

54.30%

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

$2.33 ₡1,051

$1.75 COP 5,585

33.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₡815

$1.32 COP 4,218

37.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ₡1,455

$3.13 COP 9,969

3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,992

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-20.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,037

$1.41 COP 4,495

63.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 ₡1,600

$2.44 COP 7,777

45.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,221

$1.63 COP 5,191

66.26%

Eggs

$4.05 ₡1,825

$2.82 COP 8,990

43.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 ₡4,473

$9.69 COP 30.9K

2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,729

$9.32 COP 29.7K

12.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ₡6,111

$13.46 COP 42.9K

0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 ₡2,312

$4.00 COP 12.8K

28.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.48 COP 4,719

13.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,639

$2.12 COP 6,768

71.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,463

$2.25 COP 7,178

44.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,534

$1.91 COP 6,092

78.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$1.62 COP 5,160

90.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$1.15 COP 3,658

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$1.26 COP 4,021

109.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 ₡2,446

$3.82 COP 12.2K

42.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 ₡7,048

$13.11 COP 41.8K

19.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.60 COP 5,083

71.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ₡1,472

$2.26 COP 7,188

44.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ₡480

$1.17 COP 3,731

-8.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 ₡29.4K

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-12.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡981

$1.27 COP 4,056

71.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ₡916

$2.05 COP 6,531

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 ₡3,977

$8.20 COP 26.1K

7.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡688

$1.27 COP 4,046

20.47%

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

$32.8K ₡14.8M

$26.8K COP 85.3M

22.41%

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

$36.0K ₡16.2M

$34.4K COP 109.6M

4.57%

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

$93.4 ₡42.1K

$162 COP 516.9K

-42.42%

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

$30.19 ₡13.6K

$13.12 COP 41.8K

130.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 ₡25.7K

$28.09 COP 89.5K

103.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₡29.3K

$44.33 COP 141.2K

46.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.13 ₡9,976

$16.33 COP 52.0K

35.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 ₡3,645

$6.09 COP 19.4K

32.84%

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

$740 ₡333.8K

$764 COP 2.4M

-3.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡5.7M

$8,904 COP 28.4M

41.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.0K

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-11.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-5.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.4K

$132 COP 419.8K

-3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.3K

$95.8 COP 305.1K

12.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 ₡375.3K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡289.1K

$604 COP 1.9M

6.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 ₡800.8K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-1.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ₡536.9K

$993 COP 3.2M

19.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,437 ₡1.1M

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-37.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 ₡735.2K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-0.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,033 ₡465.8K

$626 COP 2.0M

65.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

10.94

-12.61%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$641 36.7%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 5.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$379 21.7%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 23.9% $91

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$222 12.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 25% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$181 10.3%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 12.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$164 9.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 1.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.7%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 11.4% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$81 4.6%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 30.5% $25

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

1 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Costa Rica Medellin 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
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

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Medellin

COP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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