Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arenal Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arenal

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 30.8% cheaper than Arenal without rent, and 35.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 30.4% cheaper than Arenal without rent, and 31.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.95 COP 22.7K

$10.77 ₡5,262

-44.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.1 COP 126.1K

$59.8 ₡29.2K

-44.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 COP 28.3K

$10.22 ₡4,993

-27.40%

Cappuccino

$1.69 COP 6,451

$3.78 ₡1,849

-55.29%

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

$1.06 COP 4,055

$2.04 ₡995

-48.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 COP 2,730

$1.66 ₡811

-56.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 COP 6,313

$2.92 ₡1,427

-43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 COP 12.1K

$4.56 ₡2,227

-30.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.1 COP 4,202

$2.02 ₡989

-45.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 COP 4,918

$2.86 ₡1,397

-54.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.4 COP 5,320

$2.18 ₡1,065

-35.78%

Eggs

$2.25 COP 8,554

$2.87 ₡1,404

-21.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 COP 17K

$9.67 ₡4,726

-53.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 COP 21.6K

$8.94 ₡4,368

-36.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 COP 33.7K

$13.77 ₡6,725

-35.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 COP 8,944

$4.53 ₡2,215

-48.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 COP 4,065

$1.46 ₡713

-26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 COP 5,771

$4.23 ₡2,069

-64.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 COP 5,210

$3.43 ₡1,677

-60.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 COP 4,473

$3.38 ₡1,653

-65.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 COP 4,437

$3.25 ₡1,588

-64.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,397

$1 ₡489

-11.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 3,212

$2.86 ₡1,396

-70.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 COP 8,899

$5.35 ₡2,613

-56.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 COP 38.2K

$18.13 ₡8,857

-44.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.2 COP 4,572

$2.48 ₡1,214

-51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 COP 9,561

$2.84 ₡1,388

-11.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 COP 3,272

$0.95 ₡466

-9.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.69 COP 158.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 COP 5,427

$1.82 ₡889

-21.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.9 COP 7,246

$1.86 ₡909

2.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 COP 29.8K

$7.9 ₡3,861

-0.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 COP 3,635

$1.41 ₡688

-32.62%

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

$18K COP 68.6M

$37.7K ₡18.4M

-52.18%

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

$27K COP 103M

$32.2K ₡15.7M

-16.14%

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

$83.5 COP 317.9K

$93.4 ₡45.6K

-10.68%

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

$9.94 COP 37.9K

$25.77 ₡12.6K

-61.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.34 COP 92.7K

$59.5 ₡29.1K

-59.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.63 COP 97.6K

$56.4 ₡27.6K

-54.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.22 COP 73.2K

$23.73 ₡11.6K

-19.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.06 COP 15.5K

$9.71 ₡4,742

-58.19%

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

$311 COP 1.2M

$573 ₡279.8K

-45.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,954 COP 22.7M

$12.5K ₡6.1M

-52.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 COP 222.3K

$63.1 ₡30.8K

-7.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.67 COP 120.7K

$51.2 ₡25K

-38.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 COP 382.6K

$125 ₡61.1K

-19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 COP 407K

$107 ₡52.4K

-0.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 COP 1.8M

$757 ₡369.8K

-37.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 COP 1.4M

$597 ₡291.6K

-36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 COP 3.1M

$1,521 ₡743.2K

-45.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 COP 2.8M

$946 ₡462.3K

-22.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,223 COP 8.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,553 COP 5.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$559 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

10.17

32.06%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 24, 2025

Last update for Arenal: November 25, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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