Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Guanacaste and in Medellin: $1,548 and $1,614 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,548
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,428 per month in Guanacaste vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,428
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,309 per month in Guanacaste vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,309
Medellin $3,190

Guanacaste is about 4% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guanacaste and Medellin sit above the global median – Guanacaste by 15%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡4,860

$7.93 COP 25.2K

36.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₡21.9K

$46.13 COP 146.7K

5.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,248

$9.50 COP 30.2K

22.95%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,036

$3.11 COP 9,897

45.66%

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

$2.75 ₡1,236

$1.83 COP 5,818

50.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡872

$1.38 COP 4,373

40.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 ₡1,420

$3.05 COP 9,702

3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,041

$5.50 COP 17.5K

-17.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₡897

$1.45 COP 4,614

37.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,366

$2.36 COP 7,519

28.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$1.68 COP 5,345

44.64%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,591

$2.86 COP 9,106

23.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 ₡2,442

$10.19 COP 32.4K

-46.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,006

$9.53 COP 30.3K

-53.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,870

$14.04 COP 44.7K

-22.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,149

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-37.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.50 COP 4,757

9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,026

$2.17 COP 6,913

107.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡699

$2.31 COP 7,333

-32.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,753

$1.93 COP 6,132

102.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,004

$1.64 COP 5,212

35.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₡384

$1.13 COP 3,582

-24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,389

$1.25 COP 3,966

147.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,988

$3.99 COP 12.7K

10.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ₡9,125

$13.35 COP 42.5K

52.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.70 COP 5,400

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$2.37 COP 7,548

12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$1.21 COP 3,839

7.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,102

$1.32 COP 4,192

85.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡698

$2.14 COP 6,795

-27.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,952

$8.47 COP 26.9K

3.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.30 COP 4,127

19.23%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.0K COP 89.0M

-22.02%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$35.4K COP 112.6M

0.07%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$172 COP 547.3K

-43.94%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$13.37 COP 42.5K

171.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$28.73 COP 91.4K

14.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$45.24 COP 143.9K

59.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,401

$6.28 COP 20.0K

20.54%

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

$974 ₡437.5K

$770 COP 2.4M

26.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$9,011 COP 28.7M

93.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₡29.5K

$86.4 COP 274.8K

-24.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 ₡19.5K

$57.1 COP 181.7K

-23.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ₡39.9K

$137 COP 434.3K

-34.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$97.9 COP 311.4K

-21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.9K

$1,055 COP 3.4M

-23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.9K

$616 COP 2.0M

1.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡862.8K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

1.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ₡568.2K

$1,023 COP 3.3M

23.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$625 40.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 1.5% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 5.2% $16

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 23.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$166 10.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 29.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 37.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$87 5.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 33.7% $29

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$15 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 506% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Guanacaste versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Guanacaste versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

1 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Medellin 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
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

Guanacaste vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,321 per month in Guanacaste and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guanacaste, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Guanacaste and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Guanacaste and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guanacaste, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Guanacaste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Guanacaste. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.