Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Pedro, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,712 in San Pedro, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. The total is higher in San Pedro despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Pedro

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,712 in San Pedro, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
San Pedro $1,712

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,640 in San Pedro, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
San Pedro $2,640

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,569 in San Pedro, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
San Pedro $3,569

Medellin is about 4% cheaper than San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and San Pedro sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, San Pedro by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.18 ₡5,479

-33.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-22.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$11.46 ₡5,152

-17.10%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$4.51 ₡2,028

-33.26%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$2.76 ₡1,242

-34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$1.85 ₡833

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.32 ₡1,494

-4.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.51 ₡2,029

27.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$2.43 ₡1,092

-37.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$3.06 ₡1,376

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$2.44 ₡1,098

-27.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$3.42 ₡1,537

-15.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.82 ₡4,864

-5.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$10.45 ₡4,699

-5.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.23 ₡6,401

-1.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.09 ₡2,291

-22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$1.59 ₡716

-2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$4.69 ₡2,110

-53.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$3.92 ₡1,761

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$3.87 ₡1,741

-49.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$3.58 ₡1,609

-55.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.11 ₡501

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$3.14 ₡1,412

-60.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.05 ₡2,723

-34.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$19.94 ₡8,968

-31.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$2.91 ₡1,306

-42.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$3.63 ₡1,632

-37.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$1.33 ₡596

-12.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$2.47 ₡1,111

-48.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$1.57 ₡705

30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.48 ₡3,811

0.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.57 ₡706

-14.01%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$33.8K ₡15.2M

0.89%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$41.8K ₡18.8M

-17.07%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$96.5 ₡43.4K

75.88%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$36.34 ₡16.3K

-62.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$58.2 ₡26.2K

-51.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$63.1 ₡28.4K

-30.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.66 ₡3,443

-9.79%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$993 ₡446.5K

-19.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$17.2K ₡7.8M

-47.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$72.4 ₡32.6K

17.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$55.3 ₡24.9K

4.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$130 ₡58.6K

3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$133 ₡59.7K

-26.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$816 ₡367.0K

48.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$620 ₡278.6K

3.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,163 ₡972.6K

-6.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,092 ₡491.3K

-7.38%

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 San Pedro: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

San Pedro

$620 36.2% 3.4% $22

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

San Pedro

$402 23.5% 35.2% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

San Pedro

$191 11.2% 9.6% $20

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

San Pedro

$230 13.4% 35.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

San Pedro

$176 10.3% 4% $6.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

San Pedro

$16 * 0.9% 83.3% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

San Pedro

$78 4.6% 36.3% $21

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 $816 in San Pedro. 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 $61 in San Pedro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $402 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

03:45 3:45 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,477

💱 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 = 3,613 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 San Pedro 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Pedro

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 San Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Pedro is pricier by about 4%, 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 $2,568 in San Pedro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $816 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $61 in San Pedro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in San Pedro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,712 in San Pedro, 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 $1,639 in Medellin to $1,712 in San Pedro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.