Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samara, Costa Rica and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,032 per month in Samara vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Samara $2,032
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,533 per month in Samara vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Samara $3,533
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,034 per month in Samara vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Samara $5,034
Medellin $3,186

Samara costs about 24% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Samara and Medellin sit above the global median – Samara by 49%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 ₡4,997

$8.09 COP 26.1K

36.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₡28.1K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

32.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 ₡5,282

$9.50 COP 30.7K

23.16%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,960

$3.01 COP 9,735

44.19%

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

$2.72 ₡1,229

$1.80 COP 5,809

51.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡866

$1.41 COP 4,561

36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,501

$3.18 COP 10.3K

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,036

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-21.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,095

$1.51 COP 4,876

60.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,376

$2.38 COP 7,678

28.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,129

$1.77 COP 5,720

41.24%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,561

$2.89 COP 9,333

19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$10.19 COP 32.9K

5.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,736

$9.87 COP 31.9K

6.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,885

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-22.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 ₡2,263

$3.97 COP 12.8K

26.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.55 COP 5,012

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 ₡2,129

$2.18 COP 7,048

116.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,723

$2.18 COP 7,051

75.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.96 COP 6,337

89.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,665

$1.59 COP 5,132

132.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.15 COP 3,699

-6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,397

$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)

$18.86 ₡8,513

$13.68 COP 44.2K

37.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₡1,255

$1.66 COP 5,359

67.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₡1,119

$2.26 COP 7,291

9.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ₡630

$1.17 COP 3,771

19.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$1.27 COP 4,094

95.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$2.05 COP 6,612

-23.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 ₡3,843

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-0.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.35 COP 4,349

12.59%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

0.72%

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

$41.2K ₡18.6M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

18.94%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$170 COP 547.8K

-44.60%

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

$35.45 ₡16.0K

$13.55 COP 43.8K

161.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

110.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.2K

$43.70 COP 141.1K

52.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,556

$6.91 COP 22.3K

14.04%

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

$502 ₡226.4K

$797 COP 2.6M

-37.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,013 ₡2.7M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-34.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 ₡30.3K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-20.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 ₡25.1K

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.4K

$135 COP 435.8K

-4.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$97.9 COP 316.0K

35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 ₡619.7K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 ₡436.4K

$642 COP 2.1M

50.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,769 ₡1.7M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

85.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 ₡1.2M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

158.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 ₡2.2M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

18.82%

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 Samara: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samara

$967 47.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 33.6% $325

Groceries & Markets

Samara

$385 19%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.9% $88

Eating Out

Samara

$220 10.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 22.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samara

$188 9.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 12.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Samara

$173 8.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 2.4% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Samara

$83 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 30.4% $25

Getting Around

Samara

$16 * 0.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 488% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,373 in Samara 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 $62 in Samara versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Samara

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

1 h ahead of Samara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,071

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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Between locations

Samara Medellin 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Samara
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

Samara vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,048 per month in Samara 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,373 in Samara.

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

Groceries cost about 30% more in Samara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,032 in Samara and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.