Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,712 in San Pedro, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. The total is higher in San Pedro despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,712 per month in San Pedro vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Pedro $1,712
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,640 per month in San Pedro vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Pedro $2,640
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,569 per month in San Pedro vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Pedro $3,569
Medellin $3,186

San Pedro costs about 4% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Pedro and Medellin sit above the global median – San Pedro by 26%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,479

$8.09 COP 26.1K

50.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$47.05 COP 151.8K

28.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,152

$9.50 COP 30.7K

20.63%

Cappuccino

$4.51 ₡2,028

$3.01 COP 9,729

49.83%

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

$2.76 ₡1,242

$1.80 COP 5,806

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡833

$1.41 COP 4,558

31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,494

$3.18 COP 10.2K

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,029

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-21.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$1.51 COP 4,873

60.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,376

$2.38 COP 7,673

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,098

$1.77 COP 5,716

37.85%

Eggs

$3.42 ₡1,537

$2.89 COP 9,327

18.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,864

$10.19 COP 32.9K

6.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₡4,699

$9.87 COP 31.9K

5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ₡6,401

$13.99 COP 45.1K

1.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,291

$3.97 COP 12.8K

28.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡716

$1.55 COP 5,009

2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,110

$2.18 COP 7,044

115.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,761

$2.18 COP 7,047

79.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,741

$1.96 COP 6,333

97.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,609

$1.59 COP 5,129

125.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$1.15 COP 3,696

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₡1,412

$1.24 COP 4,012

153.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 ₡2,723

$3.96 COP 12.8K

52.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.94 ₡8,968

$13.68 COP 44.2K

45.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,306

$1.66 COP 5,356

75.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,632

$2.26 COP 7,286

60.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡596

$1.17 COP 3,769

13.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₡1,111

$1.27 COP 4,092

94.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$2.05 COP 6,608

-23.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,811

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-0.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.35 COP 4,346

16.30%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-0.88%

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

$41.8K ₡18.8M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

20.58%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$170 COP 547.5K

-43.14%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

168.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 ₡26.2K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

107.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 ₡28.4K

$43.70 COP 141.0K

44.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 ₡3,443

$6.91 COP 22.3K

10.85%

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

$993 ₡446.5K

$797 COP 2.6M

24.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

89.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 ₡32.6K

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-14.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$58.0 COP 187.0K

-4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$135 COP 435.5K

-3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.7K

$97.9 COP 315.8K

35.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡367.0K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-32.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡278.6K

$642 COP 2.1M

-3.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 ₡972.6K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

6.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 ₡491.3K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

7.97%

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 San Pedro: 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

San Pedro

$620 36.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 3.6% $22

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$402 23.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 26.1% $105

Eating Out

San Pedro

$230 13.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 26.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$191 11.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 10.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$176 10.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.9% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$78 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 26.6% $21

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 499% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $816 in San Pedro 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 San Pedro versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

1 h ahead of San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

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

San Pedro Medellin 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Pedro is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,568 per month in San Pedro 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 San Pedro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $816 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 35% more in San Pedro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,712 in San Pedro 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 $1,712 in San Pedro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.