Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Medellin

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.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Perez Zeledon and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Perez Zeledon $1,317
Medellin $1,639

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

Perez Zeledon $2,364
Medellin $2,413

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

Perez Zeledon $3,410
Medellin $3,186

Perez Zeledon is about 20% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 ₡4,102

$8.09 COP 26.1K

12.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.24 ₡16.8K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-20.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 ₡3,699

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-13.79%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,217

$3.01 COP 9,735

-10.30%

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

$1.97 ₡887

$1.80 COP 5,809

9.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₡805

$1.41 COP 4,561

26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ₡780

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-45.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,447

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-44.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.51 COP 4,876

5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,413

$2.38 COP 7,678

31.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.77 COP 5,720

40.68%

Eggs

$2.49 ₡1,126

$2.89 COP 9,333

-13.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,846

$10.19 COP 32.9K

5.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,639

$9.87 COP 31.9K

4.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,384

$13.99 COP 45.2K

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,365

$3.97 COP 12.8K

31.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.55 COP 5,012

-30.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,206

$2.18 COP 7,048

124.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$2.18 COP 7,051

76.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,680

$1.96 COP 6,337

89.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,622

$1.59 COP 5,132

125.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₡205

$1.15 COP 3,699

-60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$1.24 COP 4,014

149.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$3.96 COP 12.8K

40.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.80 ₡8,937

$13.68 COP 44.2K

44.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,297

$1.66 COP 5,359

72.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,638

$2.26 COP 7,291

60.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ₡364

$1.17 COP 3,771

-30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,126

$1.27 COP 4,094

96.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡737

$2.05 COP 6,612

-20.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,955

$8.55 COP 27.6K

2.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡688

$1.35 COP 4,349

12.59%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-0.92%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

21.46%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$170 COP 547.8K

-44.85%

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

$23.99 ₡10.8K

$13.55 COP 43.8K

77.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.7K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

110.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.7K

$43.70 COP 141.1K

55.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,464

$6.91 COP 22.3K

11.00%

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

$498 ₡224.8K

$797 COP 2.6M

-37.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

89.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-15.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-5.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$135 COP 435.8K

-5.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$97.9 COP 316.0K

35.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₡181.3K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-66.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ₡147.1K

$642 COP 2.1M

-49.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 ₡963.0K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

5.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 ₡568.7K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

24.51%

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 %)

8.62

10.94

-21.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.5% $86

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 96.8% $316

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 19.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.1% $5.4

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 6.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 30.9% $26

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 574% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Perez Zeledon versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 $37 in Perez Zeledon versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Perez Zeledon vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

23:09 11:09 PM

1 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Perez Zeledon
Medellin

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

Perez Zeledon vs Medellin: 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 $1,975 per month in Perez Zeledon and $2,459 in Medellin. 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 $37 in Perez Zeledon and $47 in Medellin. 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.