Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Escazu

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,934 in Escazu, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Escazu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,934 in Escazu.

Medellin $1,692
Escazu $1,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,959 in Escazu.

Medellin $2,471
Escazu $2,959

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,984 in Escazu.

Medellin $3,249
Escazu $3,984

Living in Medellin costs roughly 12% less than in Escazu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Escazu 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$12.06 ₡5,425

-30.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$61.8 ₡27.8K

-24.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$11.76 ₡5,290

-19.47%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.49 ₡2,021

-30.29%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$2.66 ₡1,195

-33.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$1.91 ₡860

-25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.35 ₡1,505

-5.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.34 ₡1,953

31.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$2.45 ₡1,101

-37.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$3.09 ₡1,389

-25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$2.50 ₡1,124

-22.40%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$3.45 ₡1,551

-11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$10.68 ₡4,805

-6.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$10.28 ₡4,623

1.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$14.14 ₡6,360

-1.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.16 ₡2,323

-21.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.57 ₡704

-2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$3.23 ₡1,453

-34.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$3.00 ₡1,351

-23.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$3.79 ₡1,702

-44.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$3.73 ₡1,676

-54.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.99 ₡447

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.68 ₡755

-5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.48 ₡2,463

-28.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$18.92 ₡8,509

-25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.68 ₡754

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.77 ₡1,246

-2.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.05 ₡472

12.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.05 ₡922

-11.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.86 ₡835

14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$8.09 ₡3,638

0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.48 ₡664

-13.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$28.0K ₡12.6M

23.21%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$36.6K ₡16.4M

-6.68%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$94.5 ₡42.5K

88.01%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$29.94 ₡13.5K

-53.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-47.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$105 ₡47.3K

-60.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$9.81 ₡4,413

71.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.66 ₡3,446

-2.48%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$458 ₡206.1K

72.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-28.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$71.8 ₡32.3K

20.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$54.9 ₡24.7K

7.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$128 ₡57.4K

8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$133 ₡59.6K

-25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$866 ₡389.3K

54.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$848 ₡381.4K

-21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,929 ₡867.3K

2.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,501 ₡675.0K

-31.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,404 ₡631.2K

191.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$969 ₡436.0K

100.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,792 ₡805.8K

-63.94%

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 Escazu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Escazu

$848 43.9% 27.1% $181

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Escazu

$363 18.8% 18.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Escazu

$183 9.5% 17.7% $39

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Escazu

$229 11.9% 32.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Escazu

$174 9% 1% $1.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Escazu

$16 * 0.8% 83.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Escazu

$121 6.2% 112% $64

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 $866 in Escazu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escazu pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $62 in Escazu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $363 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇷 Escazu

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

11,984

💱 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Medellin
Escazu

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 Escazu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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 $866 in Escazu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Escazu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $1,934 in Escazu – Medellin is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value at $1,692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

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