Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Escazu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,934 in Escazu, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,934

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,934 in Escazu versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Escazu $1,934
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,959 in Escazu versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Escazu $2,959
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,984 in Escazu versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Escazu $3,984
Medellin $3,249

Living in Escazu is roughly 14% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Escazu 43% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.06 ₡5,425

$8.34 COP 26.9K

44.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$46.53 COP 150.2K

32.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 ₡5,290

$9.47 COP 30.6K

24.18%

Cappuccino

$4.49 ₡2,021

$3.13 COP 10.1K

43.45%

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

$2.66 ₡1,195

$1.77 COP 5,702

50.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₡860

$1.42 COP 4,599

34.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$3.15 COP 10.2K

6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₡1,953

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-23.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,101

$1.53 COP 4,948

60.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,389

$2.29 COP 7,397

34.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,124

$1.94 COP 6,279

28.87%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,551

$3.07 COP 9,900

12.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 ₡4,805

$9.99 COP 32.3K

6.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,623

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-1.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,360

$13.96 COP 45.1K

1.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ₡2,323

$4.05 COP 13.1K

27.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.53 COP 4,934

2.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,453

$2.10 COP 6,794

53.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 ₡1,351

$2.29 COP 7,405

31.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,702

$2.11 COP 6,810

79.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,676

$1.71 COP 5,518

118.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$1.17 COP 3,778

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₡755

$1.58 COP 5,101

6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 ₡2,463

$3.91 COP 12.6K

40.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 ₡8,509

$14.04 COP 45.3K

34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₡754

$1.76 COP 5,688

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,246

$2.71 COP 8,756

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₡472

$1.18 COP 3,809

-11.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ₡922

$1.81 COP 5,833

13.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 ₡835

$2.13 COP 6,874

-12.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 ₡3,638

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₡664

$1.28 COP 4,117

15.62%

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

$28.0K ₡12.6M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-18.84%

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

$36.6K ₡16.4M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

7.16%

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

$94.5 ₡42.5K

$178 COP 573.8K

-46.81%

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

$29.94 ₡13.5K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

115.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

90.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 ₡47.3K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

151.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.81 ₡4,413

$16.80 COP 54.2K

-41.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 ₡3,446

$7.47 COP 24.1K

2.54%

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

$458 ₡206.1K

$790 COP 2.6M

-41.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

39.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.3K

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-16.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-7.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.4K

$138 COP 446.6K

-7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.6K

$98.8 COP 319.0K

34.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 ₡389.3K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 ₡381.4K

$667 COP 2.2M

27.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,929 ₡867.3K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-2.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 ₡675.0K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

45.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,404 ₡631.2K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-65.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 ₡436.0K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-50.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,792 ₡805.8K

$646 COP 2.1M

177.32%

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 Escazu: 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

Escazu

$848 43.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 21.3% $181

Groceries & Markets

Escazu

$363 18.8%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 15.3% $56

Eating Out

Escazu

$229 11.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 24.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Escazu

$183 9.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 21.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Escazu

$174 9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 1% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Escazu

$121 6.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 52.8% $64

Getting Around

Escazu

$16 * 0.8%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 502% $78

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 $866 in Escazu and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escazu pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Escazu vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Escazu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h ahead of Escazu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,984

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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Escazu Medellin 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Escazu
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

Escazu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Escazu is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $866 in Escazu versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Escazu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,934 per month in Escazu versus $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value at $1,692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

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