Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curridabat and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Curridabat and in Medellin: $1,660 and $1,692 a month, rent and utilities included.

82

Cost of Living Index in Curridabat
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Curridabat Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Curridabat

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,660

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Curridabat versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Curridabat $1,660
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,756 in Curridabat versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Curridabat $2,756
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,852 in Curridabat versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Curridabat $3,852
Medellin $3,249

Monthly costs are close between Curridabat and Medellin; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Curridabat 23% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 ₡5,010

$8.34 COP 26.9K

33.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$46.53 COP 150.1K

19.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 ₡4,334

$9.47 COP 30.6K

1.80%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,987

$3.13 COP 10.1K

41.21%

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

$2.04 ₡916

$1.77 COP 5,700

15.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₡629

$1.42 COP 4,597

-1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 ₡1,528

$3.15 COP 10.2K

7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₡1,326

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-48.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,051

$1.53 COP 4,946

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.29 COP 7,394

34.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$1.94 COP 6,276

29.38%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,591

$3.07 COP 9,895

15.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₡4,870

$9.99 COP 32.2K

8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,775

$10.45 COP 33.7K

1.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,251

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,246

$4.05 COP 13.1K

23.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₡719

$1.53 COP 4,932

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,111

$2.10 COP 6,791

123.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,778

$2.29 COP 7,402

72.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.94 ₡1,771

$2.11 COP 6,807

86.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,690

$1.71 COP 5,515

119.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡499

$1.17 COP 3,776

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₡1,410

$1.58 COP 5,099

98.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,707

$3.91 COP 12.6K

53.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.10 ₡9,039

$14.04 COP 45.3K

43.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,291

$1.76 COP 5,685

63.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,612

$2.71 COP 8,752

32.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 ₡554

$1.18 COP 3,807

4.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₡1,013

$1.81 COP 5,831

24.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 ₡812

$2.13 COP 6,871

-15.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 ₡3,569

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-2.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.28 COP 4,115

21.09%

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

$33.4K ₡15.0M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-2.91%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

20.95%

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

$96.4 ₡43.4K

$178 COP 573.5K

-45.74%

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

$35.56 ₡16.0K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

156.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

97.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 ₡26.7K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

41.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ₡3,401

$7.47 COP 24.1K

1.20%

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

$997 ₡448.2K

$790 COP 2.5M

26.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₡8.6M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

55.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.9K

$86.3 COP 278.6K

-15.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$59.3 COP 191.2K

-4.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$138 COP 446.4K

-7.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.4K

$98.8 COP 318.9K

35.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 ₡356.7K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-40.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 ₡265.5K

$667 COP 2.2M

-11.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 ₡836.6K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-5.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 ₡650.7K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

40.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ₡221.1K

$646 COP 2.1M

-23.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.94

-21.21%

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

Last update for Curridabat: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curridabat

$590 35.6%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 13% $77

Groceries & Markets

Curridabat

$402 24.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 23.5% $94

Eating Out

Curridabat

$208 12.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 16.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curridabat

$193 11.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 15.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Curridabat

$177 10.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 2.4% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Curridabat

$75 4.5%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 23.7% $18

Getting Around

Curridabat

$16 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 477% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $793 in Curridabat and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 31% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Curridabat vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Curridabat

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

10:07 10:07 AM

1 h ahead of Curridabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curridabat Medellin 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Curridabat
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

Curridabat vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Curridabat. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $793 in Curridabat versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Curridabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $997 in Curridabat versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Curridabat gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Curridabat wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.