Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,530 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,530

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Santa Teresa vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Teresa $1,530
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Teresa $2,295
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,061 per month in Santa Teresa vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Teresa $3,061
Medellin $3,249

Santa Teresa is about 10% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Teresa and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Teresa by 13%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₡4,450

$8.34 COP 27.0K

18.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.31 ₡19.0K

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-9.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,365

$9.47 COP 30.7K

2.53%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₡1,664

$3.13 COP 10.2K

18.21%

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

$2.04 ₡915

$1.77 COP 5,727

15.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.42 COP 4,619

14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,363

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-3.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,044

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-20.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡923

$1.53 COP 4,969

33.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 ₡1,267

$2.29 COP 7,429

23.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ₡970

$1.94 COP 6,306

11.34%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,341

$3.07 COP 9,942

-2.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,500

$9.99 COP 32.4K

0.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 ₡4,034

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 ₡6,114

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-2.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ₡2,048

$4.05 COP 13.1K

12.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡649

$1.53 COP 4,956

-5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 ₡1,852

$2.10 COP 6,823

96.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,382

$2.29 COP 7,437

34.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,522

$2.11 COP 6,839

60.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,159

$1.71 COP 5,542

50.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡454

$1.17 COP 3,794

-13.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,279

$1.58 COP 5,123

80.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,287

$3.91 COP 12.7K

30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,198

$14.04 COP 45.5K

-1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,060

$1.76 COP 5,712

34.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₡1,177

$2.71 COP 8,793

-3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡432

$1.18 COP 3,825

-18.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡828

$1.81 COP 5,859

1.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡824

$2.13 COP 6,904

-14.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 ₡3,573

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-2.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡658

$1.28 COP 4,135

14.06%

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

$38.4K ₡17.3M

$34.4K COP 111.7M

11.46%

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

$32.7K ₡14.7M

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-4.11%

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

$84.9 ₡38.2K

$178 COP 576.3K

-52.23%

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

$26.16 ₡11.8K

$13.89 COP 45.0K

88.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.7K

$30.74 COP 99.7K

63.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 ₡22.5K

$41.94 COP 136.0K

19.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 ₡10.6K

$16.80 COP 54.5K

40.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡3,995

$7.47 COP 24.2K

19.01%

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

$573 ₡257.3K

$790 COP 2.6M

-27.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₡5.6M

$12.3K COP 39.9M

1.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-28.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 ₡23.0K

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$138 COP 448.6K

-7.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.9K

$98.8 COP 320.4K

7.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡317.6K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-47.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₡266.0K

$667 COP 2.2M

-11.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 ₡656.5K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-26.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡429.1K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-7.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

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 %)

10.17

10.94

-7.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Teresa: 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

Santa Teresa

$592 38.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 12.7% $75

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$346 22.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 11.3% $39

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 9.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$161 10.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 37.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.2%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 10.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 16.1% $11

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 529% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $706 in Santa Teresa 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 $42 in Santa Teresa versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Santa Teresa vs $307 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

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 = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Teresa Medellin 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Teresa
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

Santa Teresa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa 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 Santa Teresa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $706 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Santa Teresa and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Teresa costs $1,530 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.