Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guadalupe, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalupe: $1,601 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
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Guadalupe Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guadalupe

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,601 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Guadalupe $1,601

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,490 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Guadalupe $2,490

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,379 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Guadalupe $3,379

Medellin costs about 6% more than Guadalupe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Guadalupe sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Guadalupe by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$11.11 ₡4,996

-24.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$32.87 ₡14.8K

41.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.77 ₡3,942

7.98%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.25 ₡1,460

-3.69%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$2.15 ₡966

-17.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$1.86 ₡837

-23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.36 ₡1,513

-6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.41 ₡1,983

29.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$2.16 ₡973

-29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$3.19 ₡1,436

-28.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$2.44 ₡1,098

-20.49%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$3.48 ₡1,566

-11.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$9.60 ₡4,319

4.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$9.95 ₡4,472

5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$13.84 ₡6,223

0.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.11 ₡2,299

-20.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.63 ₡734

-6.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$4.71 ₡2,118

-55.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$3.77 ₡1,695

-39.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$3.91 ₡1,759

-46.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$3.71 ₡1,666

-53.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.11 ₡499

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$3.09 ₡1,392

-48.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.46 ₡2,004

-12.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$20.12 ₡9,047

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$2.76 ₡1,241

-36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.58 ₡1,611

-24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.35 ₡606

-12.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.06 ₡926

-12.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.60 ₡721

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$8.94 ₡4,019

-9.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.42 ₡637

-9.86%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$25.9K ₡11.6M

33.22%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$41.5K ₡18.7M

-17.71%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$35.93 ₡16.2K

394.66%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$26.33 ₡11.8K

-47.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$54.3 ₡24.4K

-43.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$66.9 ₡30.1K

-37.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.80 ₡3,510

-4.23%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$990 ₡445.0K

-20.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.0K ₡7.6M

-27.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$70.3 ₡31.6K

22.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$43.98 ₡19.8K

34.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$131 ₡59.0K

5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$98.4 ₡44.3K

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$819 ₡368.4K

63.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$644 ₡289.4K

3.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,873 ₡842.4K

5.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,253 ₡563.6K

-17.59%

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

$1,232 ₡553.9K

-47.54%

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 Guadalupe: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Guadalupe

$644 40.2% 3.5% $24

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Guadalupe

$392 24.5% 27.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Guadalupe

$117 7.3% 47.6% $106

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Guadalupe

$196 12.2% 13.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Guadalupe

$155 9.7% 10.2% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Guadalupe

$15 * 1% 83.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Guadalupe

$83 5.2% 45.1% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $819 in Guadalupe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Guadalupe, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $33 in Guadalupe. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $392 in Guadalupe – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🕒 Local time

14:10 2:10 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

23,000

💱 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 = 3,229 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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Medellin
Guadalupe

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 Guadalupe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,601 in Guadalupe – Guadalupe comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,401 in Guadalupe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guadalupe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $819 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $33 in Guadalupe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,601 in Guadalupe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,601 in Guadalupe to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.