Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,769 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in San Rafael despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,769

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,769 per month in San Rafael vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

San Rafael $1,769
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,849 per month in San Rafael vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

San Rafael $2,849
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,928 per month in San Rafael vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

San Rafael $3,928
Medellin $3,186

San Rafael costs about 8% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Rafael and Medellin sit above the global median – San Rafael by 30%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 ₡5,453

$8.09 COP 25.4K

49.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

29.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 ₡5,181

$9.50 COP 29.9K

20.84%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,052

$3.01 COP 9,485

51.16%

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

$2.72 ₡1,228

$1.80 COP 5,660

51.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡874

$1.41 COP 4,443

37.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ₡1,459

$3.18 COP 9,990

1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,054

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-20.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,049

$1.51 COP 4,751

53.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,441

$2.38 COP 7,480

34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.77 COP 5,573

35.03%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,608

$2.89 COP 9,093

23.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.85 ₡4,896

$10.19 COP 32.1K

6.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₡4,670

$9.87 COP 31.1K

4.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 ₡6,341

$13.99 COP 44.0K

0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 ₡2,381

$3.97 COP 12.5K

33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡712

$1.55 COP 4,883

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,189

$2.18 COP 6,867

122.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,736

$2.18 COP 6,870

76.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,753

$1.96 COP 6,174

98.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.70 ₡1,671

$1.59 COP 5,000

132.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡489

$1.15 COP 3,604

-6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₡1,434

$1.24 COP 3,911

156.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.10 ₡2,755

$3.96 COP 12.5K

54.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 ₡8,922

$13.68 COP 43.0K

44.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,283

$1.66 COP 5,222

71.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₡1,642

$2.26 COP 7,104

61.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡601

$1.17 COP 3,674

13.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ₡1,071

$1.27 COP 3,989

86.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡706

$2.05 COP 6,442

-23.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,995

$8.55 COP 26.9K

3.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡680

$1.35 COP 4,237

11.85%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

1.28%

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

$41.5K ₡18.7M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

19.66%

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

$96.7 ₡43.6K

$170 COP 533.7K

-43.03%

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

$36.26 ₡16.4K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

167.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.9K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

112.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 ₡32.1K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

63.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,525

$6.91 COP 21.7K

13.02%

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

$970 ₡437.9K

$797 COP 2.5M

21.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

88.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ₡32.6K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-14.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.2K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-3.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.9K

$135 COP 424.6K

-3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

33.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡364.7K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-33.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ₡300.8K

$642 COP 2.0M

3.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,030 ₡916.1K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

0.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ₡645.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

41.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

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 Rafael: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$667 37.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 3.8% $25

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$403 22.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 26.2% $106

Eating Out

San Rafael

$230 13%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 26.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$193 10.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 9.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 9.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.7% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$87 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 33.8% $29

Getting Around

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 503% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $808 in San Rafael 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 Rafael versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

1 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

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 = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

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

Yes – San Rafael is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,654 per month in San Rafael 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 Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $808 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 36% more in San Rafael, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,769 in San Rafael 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 $1,769 in San Rafael. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.