Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quesada and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Quesada and in Medellin: $1,664 and $1,639 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Quesada
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Quesada Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,664

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quesada 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 Quesada and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,664 per month in Quesada vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Quesada $1,664
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,649 per month in Quesada vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Quesada $2,649
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,633 per month in Quesada vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Quesada $3,633
Medellin $3,186

Quesada and Medellin have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Quesada and Medellin sit above the global median – Quesada by 22%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 ₡5,410

$8.09 COP 26.1K

48.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 ₡27.6K

$47.05 COP 151.8K

30.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,329

$9.50 COP 30.7K

24.74%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,954

$3.01 COP 9,729

44.19%

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

$2.76 ₡1,242

$1.80 COP 5,806

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.41 COP 4,558

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,472

$3.18 COP 10.2K

2.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₡1,069

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-58.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,043

$1.51 COP 4,873

53.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 ₡1,281

$2.38 COP 7,673

19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,118

$1.77 COP 5,716

40.68%

Eggs

$2.65 ₡1,192

$2.89 COP 9,327

-8.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,776

$10.19 COP 32.9K

4.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,718

$9.87 COP 31.9K

6.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 ₡6,221

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-1.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 ₡2,374

$3.97 COP 12.8K

33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₡718

$1.55 COP 5,009

3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.18 COP 7,044

-48.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 ₡1,794

$2.18 COP 7,047

83.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,734

$1.96 COP 6,333

96.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,619

$1.59 COP 5,129

126.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.15 COP 3,696

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,436

$1.24 COP 4,012

157.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,600

$3.96 COP 12.8K

45.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 ₡6,857

$13.68 COP 44.2K

11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,302

$1.66 COP 5,356

74.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₡1,672

$2.26 COP 7,286

64.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ₡640

$1.17 COP 3,769

21.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₡710

$1.27 COP 4,092

24.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$2.05 COP 6,608

-23.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,944

$8.55 COP 27.6K

2.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.35 COP 4,346

14.81%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$34.1K COP 109.9M

1.08%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

19.02%

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

$94.6 ₡42.6K

$170 COP 547.5K

-44.22%

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

$30.47 ₡13.7K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

124.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

95.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 ₡30.9K

$43.70 COP 141.0K

57.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.49 ₡7,414

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.39 ₡2,425

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-22.00%

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

$254 ₡114.3K

$797 COP 2.6M

-68.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,200 ₡1.9M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-53.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₡31.6K

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-17.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$58.0 COP 187.0K

-5.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$135 COP 435.5K

-4.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₡49.7K

$97.9 COP 315.8K

13.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 ₡366.5K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-32.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 ₡283.2K

$642 COP 2.1M

-1.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 ₡859.5K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-5.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 ₡565.2K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

24.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,200 ₡1.9M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

0.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,197 ₡988.0K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

15.01%

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 Quesada: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quesada

$630 37.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 1.9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Quesada

$372 22.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 20.3% $75

Eating Out

Quesada

$224 13.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 24.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quesada

$180 10.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 17.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Quesada

$164 9.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.1% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Quesada

$80 4.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 27.6% $22

Getting Around

Quesada

$15 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 519% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $815 in Quesada 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 $61 in Quesada versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Quesada

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

1 h ahead of Quesada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,000

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 = 2.76 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Quesada Medellin 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Quesada
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

Quesada vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,496 per month in Quesada 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 Quesada, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $815 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Kindergarten costs $254 per month in Quesada and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,664 in Quesada and $1,639 in Medellin, 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 $1,664 in Quesada. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.