Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Curridabat

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Curridabat: $1,692 and $1,660 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Curridabat
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Curridabat Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Curridabat

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Curridabat

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 Curridabat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,660 in Curridabat.

Medellin $1,692
Curridabat $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,756 in Curridabat.

Medellin $2,471
Curridabat $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,852 in Curridabat.

Medellin $3,249
Curridabat $3,852

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Curridabat 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$11.14 ₡5,010

-25.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-16.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$9.64 ₡4,334

-1.76%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.42 ₡1,987

-29.19%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$2.04 ₡916

-13.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$1.40 ₡629

1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.40 ₡1,528

-7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.95 ₡1,326

93.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$2.34 ₡1,051

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$3.07 ₡1,379

-25.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$2.51 ₡1,128

-22.71%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$3.54 ₡1,591

-13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$10.83 ₡4,870

-7.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$10.62 ₡4,775

-1.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$13.90 ₡6,251

0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.99 ₡2,246

-18.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$1.60 ₡719

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$4.69 ₡2,111

-55.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$3.95 ₡1,778

-42.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$3.94 ₡1,771

-46.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$3.76 ₡1,690

-54.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$1.11 ₡499

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$3.13 ₡1,410

-49.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.02 ₡2,707

-35.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$20.10 ₡9,039

-30.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$2.87 ₡1,291

-38.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

$3.59 ₡1,612

-24.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

$1.23 ₡554

-4.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$2.25 ₡1,013

-19.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

$1.81 ₡812

17.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$7.94 ₡3,569

2.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$1.55 ₡699

-17.42%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$33.4K ₡15.0M

2.99%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-17.32%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$96.4 ₡43.4K

84.31%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$35.56 ₡16.0K

-60.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-49.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$59.4 ₡26.7K

-29.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.56 ₡3,401

-1.19%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$997 ₡448.2K

-20.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$19.2K ₡8.6M

-35.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$73.1 ₡32.9K

18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$56.7 ₡25.5K

4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$128 ₡57.7K

7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$134 ₡60.4K

-26.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$793 ₡356.7K

69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$590 ₡265.5K

13.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,860 ₡836.6K

6.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,447 ₡650.7K

-28.62%

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)

$646 COP 2.1M

$492 ₡221.1K

31.44%

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 Curridabat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Curridabat

$590 35.6% 11.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Curridabat

$402 24.2% 30.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Curridabat

$193 11.6% 13.4% $30

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Curridabat

$208 12.5% 20.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Curridabat

$177 10.6% 2.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Curridabat

$16 * 1% 82.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Curridabat

$75 4.5% 31% $18

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 Curridabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 31% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $56 in Curridabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $402 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇷 Curridabat

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

33,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Curridabat 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Curridabat

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 Curridabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 31% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $793 in Curridabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Curridabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $997 in Curridabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Curridabat 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.

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