Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalupe, Costa Rica and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalupe: $1,601 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
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Guadalupe Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,601

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,601 per month in Guadalupe vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Guadalupe $1,601
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Guadalupe vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Guadalupe $2,490
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,379 per month in Guadalupe vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Guadalupe $3,379
Medellin $3,249

Guadalupe is about 5% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guadalupe and Medellin sit above the global median – Guadalupe by 18%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 ₡4,996

$8.34 COP 26.9K

33.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.87 ₡14.8K

$46.53 COP 150.2K

-29.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 ₡3,942

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-7.39%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₡1,460

$3.13 COP 10.1K

3.83%

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

$2.15 ₡966

$1.77 COP 5,702

21.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.42 COP 4,599

30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,513

$3.15 COP 10.2K

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,983

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-22.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₡973

$1.53 COP 4,948

41.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,436

$2.29 COP 7,397

39.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,098

$1.94 COP 6,279

25.77%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,566

$3.07 COP 9,900

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 ₡4,319

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-3.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 ₡4,472

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-4.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,223

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,299

$4.05 COP 13.1K

26.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡734

$1.53 COP 4,934

6.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 ₡2,118

$2.10 COP 6,794

124.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,695

$2.29 COP 7,405

64.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,759

$2.11 COP 6,810

85.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,666

$1.71 COP 5,518

116.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡499

$1.17 COP 3,778

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,392

$1.58 COP 5,101

95.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ₡2,004

$3.91 COP 12.6K

14.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.12 ₡9,047

$14.04 COP 45.3K

43.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,241

$1.76 COP 5,688

56.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,611

$2.71 COP 8,756

32.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡606

$1.18 COP 3,809

14.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ₡926

$1.81 COP 5,833

13.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 ₡721

$2.13 COP 6,874

-24.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,019

$8.13 COP 26.3K

9.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₡637

$1.28 COP 4,117

10.94%

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

$25.9K ₡11.6M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-24.93%

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

$41.5K ₡18.7M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

21.52%

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

$35.93 ₡16.2K

$178 COP 573.8K

-79.78%

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

$26.33 ₡11.8K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

89.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 ₡24.4K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

76.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.1K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

59.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 ₡3,510

$7.47 COP 24.1K

4.42%

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

$990 ₡445.0K

$790 COP 2.6M

25.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.6M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

37.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₡31.6K

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-18.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.98 ₡19.8K

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-25.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$138 COP 446.6K

-5.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ₡44.3K

$98.8 COP 319.0K

-0.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₡368.4K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 ₡289.4K

$667 COP 2.2M

-3.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 ₡842.4K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-5.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ₡563.6K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

21.34%

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)

$1,232 ₡553.9K

$646 COP 2.1M

90.62%

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 Guadalupe: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalupe

$644 40.2%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 3.7% $24

Groceries & Markets

Guadalupe

$392 24.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 21.6% $85

Eating Out

Guadalupe

$196 12.2%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 11.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalupe

$155 9.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 11.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalupe

$117 7.3%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 90.7% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalupe

$83 5.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 31.1% $26

Getting Around

Guadalupe

$15 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 504% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $819 in Guadalupe 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.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Guadalupe, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Guadalupe versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Guadalupe vs $307 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h ahead of Guadalupe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,000

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 = 3,229 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

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

From you

Guadalupe
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

Guadalupe vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,601 in Guadalupe, $1,692 in Medellin – Guadalupe comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,401 per month in Guadalupe 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 Guadalupe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $819 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Guadalupe and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,601 in Guadalupe and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,601 in Guadalupe to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.