Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Acosta

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Acosta: $1,692 and $1,672 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Acosta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Acosta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,672 in Acosta.

Medellin $1,692
Acosta $1,672

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,657 in Acosta.

Medellin $2,471
Acosta $2,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,642 in Acosta.

Medellin $3,249
Acosta $3,642

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Acosta 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$11.97 ₡5,379

-30.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$58.9 ₡26.5K

-21.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$11.77 ₡5,290

-19.54%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$4.30 ₡1,935

-27.21%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$2.54 ₡1,141

-30.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.91 ₡860

-25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.37 ₡1,515

-6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.47 ₡2,008

27.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$2.44 ₡1,096

-37.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$2.71 ₡1,219

-15.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$2.44 ₡1,099

-20.49%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$3.60 ₡1,617

-14.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$10.74 ₡4,826

-6.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$10.22 ₡4,595

2.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$13.95 ₡6,272

0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.16 ₡2,319

-21.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.57 ₡707

-2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$3.33 ₡1,497

-36.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$3.45 ₡1,552

-33.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$3.02 ₡1,358

-30.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$3.23 ₡1,452

-47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$1.03 ₡463

13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$2.60 ₡1,170

-39.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$5.75 ₡2,585

-32.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$16.66 ₡7,490

-15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$2.61 ₡1,172

-32.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$2.64 ₡1,188

2.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$1.33 ₡599

-11.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$2.51 ₡1,128

-27.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.56 ₡703

36.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$8.49 ₡3,815

-4.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.53 ₡687

-16.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$34.1K ₡15.3M

1.01%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$41.1K ₡18.5M

-16.88%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$95.2 ₡42.8K

86.63%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$30.00 ₡13.5K

-53.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$58.8 ₡26.4K

-47.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-37.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.59 ₡3,413

-1.58%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$837 ₡376.2K

-5.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-29.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$71.3 ₡32.1K

21.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$56.6 ₡25.5K

4.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$128 ₡57.7K

7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$131 ₡59.0K

-24.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$793 ₡356.3K

69.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$620 ₡278.6K

7.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,924 ₡865.0K

2.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,256 ₡564.3K

-17.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,921 ₡863.3K

113.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,506 ₡677.0K

-57.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.62

26.91%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acosta: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Acosta

$620 37.1% 7.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Acosta

$369 22.1% 20.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Acosta

$184 11% 17.2% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Acosta

$226 13.5% 31.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Acosta

$174 10.4% 1.3% $2.2

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Acosta

$16 * 0.9% 83.2% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Acosta

$83 4.9% 45.3% $26

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $793 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $59 in Acosta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $369 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,072

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Medellin
Acosta

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

Medellin vs Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $793 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $837 in Acosta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Acosta 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.