Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,317 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Perez Zeledon $1,317

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,364 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Perez Zeledon $2,364

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,410 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Perez Zeledon $3,410

Medellin costs about 24% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.09 ₡4,102

-11.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$37.24 ₡16.8K

26.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.19 ₡3,699

16.00%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.70 ₡1,217

11.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.97 ₡887

-8.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.78 ₡805

-20.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.73 ₡780

83.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.21 ₡1,447

79.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.60 ₡724

-5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.13 ₡1,413

-23.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.49 ₡1,122

-28.92%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.49 ₡1,126

16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.73 ₡4,846

-5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$10.28 ₡4,639

-3.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.14 ₡6,384

-1.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.24 ₡2,365

-24.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.08 ₡488

43.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$4.89 ₡2,206

-55.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.85 ₡1,737

-43.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.72 ₡1,680

-47.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$3.59 ₡1,622

-55.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.45 ₡205

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$3.09 ₡1,394

-59.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.57 ₡2,516

-28.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$19.80 ₡8,937

-30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.87 ₡1,297

-42.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.63 ₡1,638

-37.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.81 ₡364

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.49 ₡1,126

-49.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.63 ₡737

25.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.76 ₡3,955

-2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.52 ₡688

-11.18%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$33.8K ₡15.2M

0.93%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$42.1K ₡19.0M

-17.67%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$93.6 ₡42.2K

81.31%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$23.99 ₡10.8K

-43.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$59.2 ₡26.7K

-52.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$67.9 ₡30.7K

-35.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.67 ₡3,464

-9.91%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$498 ₡224.8K

59.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-47.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$71.8 ₡32.4K

17.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$55.0 ₡24.8K

5.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$128 ₡57.7K

5.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$133 ₡60.0K

-26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$402 ₡181.3K

200.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$326 ₡147.1K

96.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,133 ₡963.0K

-4.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,260 ₡568.7K

-19.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8% 49.2% $316

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1% 29% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4% 16.4% $35

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1% 5.9% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2% 3.2% $5.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1% 85.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3% 44.8% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $402 in Perez Zeledon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $37 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $383 in Perez Zeledon – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

23:44 11:44 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

135,000

💱 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 = 1.98 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Perez Zeledon 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,975 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $37 in Perez Zeledon. 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.