Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Playa Flamingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. The total is higher in Playa Flamingo despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Playa Flamingo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Playa Flamingo $1,686

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,670 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Playa Flamingo $2,670

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,654 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Playa Flamingo $3,654

Medellin is about 3% cheaper than Playa Flamingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Playa Flamingo sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Playa Flamingo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$11.78 ₡5,316

-31.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$62.3 ₡28.1K

-24.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.89 ₡4,465

-3.94%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$4.36 ₡1,969

-30.96%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$2.74 ₡1,235

-34.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.84 ₡831

-23.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.28 ₡1,480

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.34 ₡1,959

32.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.03 ₡915

-25.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.12 ₡1,407

-23.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$2.51 ₡1,131

-29.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$3.05 ₡1,375

-5.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$10.82 ₡4,884

-5.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$10.15 ₡4,582

-2.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$11.80 ₡5,329

18.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$5.27 ₡2,381

-24.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.58 ₡712

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$4.86 ₡2,194

-55.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$3.92 ₡1,769

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$3.85 ₡1,740

-49.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$3.62 ₡1,633

-56.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.02 ₡459

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$3.09 ₡1,396

-59.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.09 ₡2,297

-22.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$20.33 ₡9,180

-32.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.77 ₡1,253

-40.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$3.67 ₡1,659

-38.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.39 ₡628

-15.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.51 ₡1,135

-49.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.55 ₡701

32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$8.80 ₡3,973

-2.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.54 ₡693

-12.34%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$34.0K ₡15.3M

0.20%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-17.82%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$94.5 ₡42.7K

79.56%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$20.06 ₡9,054

-32.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$58.9 ₡26.6K

-52.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$56.0 ₡25.3K

-21.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$9.92 ₡4,477

73.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.75 ₡3,500

-10.84%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$994 ₡448.8K

-19.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$9,017 ₡4.1M

1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$70.8 ₡32.0K

19.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$56.3 ₡25.4K

2.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$130 ₡58.6K

3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$134 ₡60.7K

-27.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,604 ₡724.1K

-24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$640 ₡289.0K

0.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,962 ₡1.3M

-31.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,259 ₡568.4K

-19.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$3,601 ₡1.6M

15.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

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 Playa Flamingo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Playa Flamingo

$640 38% 0.2% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Playa Flamingo

$389 23.1% 31% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Playa Flamingo

$173 10.3% 17.9% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Playa Flamingo

$220 13% 29.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5% 4.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Playa Flamingo

$16 * 0.9% 83.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Playa Flamingo

$72 4.2% 24.3% $14

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 $1,604 in Playa Flamingo. 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 $62 in Playa Flamingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $389 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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 Playa Flamingo 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Playa Flamingo

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 Playa Flamingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa Flamingo is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,528 in Playa Flamingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,604 in Playa Flamingo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $62 in Playa Flamingo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Playa Flamingo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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