Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan and in Medellin: $1,723 and $1,692 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in San Juan vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $1,723
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,746 per month in San Juan vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $2,746
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,770 per month in San Juan vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $3,770
Medellin $3,249

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

Both San Juan and Medellin sit above the global median – San Juan by 27%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 ₡5,602

$8.34 COP 26.9K

49.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$46.53 COP 150.2K

30.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,331

$9.47 COP 30.6K

25.13%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,956

$3.13 COP 10.1K

38.98%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.77 COP 5,702

55.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡855

$1.42 COP 4,599

33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,502

$3.15 COP 10.2K

6.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,035

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,047

$1.53 COP 4,948

52.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₡1,400

$2.29 COP 7,397

35.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,096

$1.94 COP 6,279

25.77%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,565

$3.07 COP 9,900

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,794

$9.99 COP 32.3K

6.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,731

$10.45 COP 33.7K

0.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,291

$13.96 COP 45.1K

0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,264

$4.05 COP 13.1K

24.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.53 COP 4,934

3.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 ₡2,149

$2.10 COP 6,794

127.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,713

$2.29 COP 7,405

66.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,748

$2.11 COP 6,810

84.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,690

$1.71 COP 5,518

119.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.17 COP 3,778

-4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,393

$1.58 COP 5,101

96.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,635

$3.91 COP 12.6K

49.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.61 ₡8,820

$14.04 COP 45.3K

39.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,287

$1.76 COP 5,688

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,613

$2.71 COP 8,756

32.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡605

$1.18 COP 3,809

14.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$1.81 COP 5,833

33.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$2.13 COP 6,874

-26.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 ₡3,877

$8.13 COP 26.3K

6.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡711

$1.28 COP 4,117

23.44%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-0.10%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

21.01%

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

$95.5 ₡43.0K

$178 COP 573.8K

-46.24%

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

$35.02 ₡15.7K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

152.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

95.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 ₡30.1K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

59.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,469

$7.47 COP 24.1K

3.21%

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

$980 ₡440.7K

$790 COP 2.6M

24.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

39.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-16.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.3K

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-5.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$138 COP 446.6K

-6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$98.8 COP 319.0K

35.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₡358.8K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-40.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₡282.1K

$667 COP 2.2M

-5.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡864.2K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-2.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡578.7K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

24.59%

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)

$646 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 San Juan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$627 36.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 6.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$399 23.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 23% $92

Eating Out

San Juan

$232 13.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 25.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.1%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 16.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$176 10.2%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 2.2% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.8%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 31% $26

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 500% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $798 in San Juan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Juan versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

14:09 2:09 PM

1 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Medellin 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,584 per month in San Juan 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 Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

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

Kindergarten costs $980 per month in San Juan and $790 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 $1,723 in San Juan and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $1,723 in San Juan. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.