Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Isidro and in Medellin: $1,676 and $1,692 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,676 per month in San Isidro vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

San Isidro $1,676
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,650 per month in San Isidro vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

San Isidro $2,650
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,623 per month in San Isidro vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

San Isidro $3,623
Medellin $3,249

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

Both San Isidro and Medellin sit above the global median – San Isidro by 24%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 ₡5,353

$8.34 COP 26.9K

42.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 ₡25.9K

$46.53 COP 150.2K

23.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 ₡5,177

$9.47 COP 30.6K

21.54%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ₡1,897

$3.13 COP 10.1K

34.82%

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

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.77 COP 5,702

41.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.42 COP 4,599

30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,504

$3.15 COP 10.2K

6.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,972

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-23.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,050

$1.53 COP 4,948

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,356

$2.29 COP 7,397

31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,122

$1.94 COP 6,279

28.87%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,543

$3.07 COP 9,900

11.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 ₡4,822

$9.99 COP 32.3K

7.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,795

$10.45 COP 33.7K

2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,374

$13.96 COP 45.1K

1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 ₡2,229

$4.05 COP 13.1K

22.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ₡750

$1.53 COP 4,934

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$2.10 COP 6,794

56.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,584

$2.29 COP 7,405

53.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$2.11 COP 6,810

35.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 ₡1,419

$1.71 COP 5,518

84.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡463

$1.17 COP 3,778

-11.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,192

$1.58 COP 5,101

67.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 ₡2,531

$3.91 COP 12.6K

43.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.48 ₡7,412

$14.04 COP 45.3K

17.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,185

$1.76 COP 5,688

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,220

$2.71 COP 8,756

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$1.18 COP 3,809

10.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 ₡997

$1.81 COP 5,833

22.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡822

$2.13 COP 6,874

-14.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.65 ₡3,891

$8.13 COP 26.3K

6.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.28 COP 4,117

18.75%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

0.56%

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

$40.6K ₡18.3M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

19.07%

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

$93.6 ₡42.1K

$178 COP 573.8K

-47.33%

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

$30.02 ₡13.5K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

116.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 ₡26.9K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

94.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 ₡30.0K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

58.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 ₡3,584

$7.47 COP 24.1K

6.69%

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

$857 ₡385.5K

$790 COP 2.6M

8.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ₡7.2M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

29.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 ₡31.1K

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 ₡21.7K

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-18.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$138 COP 446.6K

-8.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 ₡62.2K

$98.8 COP 319.0K

40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 ₡364.0K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-39.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₡280.7K

$667 COP 2.2M

-6.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 ₡858.1K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 ₡559.9K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

20.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 ₡495.2K

$646 COP 2.1M

70.44%

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 San Isidro: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Isidro

$624 37.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 6.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

San Isidro

$373 22.3%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 17.6% $66

Eating Out

San Isidro

$223 13.3%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 22.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Isidro

$184 11%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 21.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

San Isidro

$172 10.3%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

San Isidro

$83 4.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 31.1% $26

Getting Around

San Isidro

$17 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 465% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $809 in San Isidro versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 70% higher in San Isidro. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in San Isidro versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h ahead of San Isidro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Isidro Medellin 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Isidro
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

San Isidro vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,513 per month in San Isidro and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Isidro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $809 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in San Isidro and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $857 per month in San Isidro and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,676 in San Isidro and $1,692 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 $1,676 in San Isidro to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.