Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turrialba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,726 in Turrialba, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Turrialba despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Turrialba
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Turrialba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Turrialba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,726

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,726 per month in Turrialba vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Turrialba $1,726
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $2,753 per month in Turrialba vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Turrialba $2,753
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $3,779 per month in Turrialba vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Turrialba $3,779
Medellin $3,199

Turrialba costs about 6% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Turrialba and Medellin sit above the global median – Turrialba by 27%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.97 ₡5,370

$8.30 COP 26.3K

44.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$46.91 COP 148.7K

29.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 ₡5,283

$9.24 COP 29.3K

27.49%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,946

$3.05 COP 9,676

42.30%

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

$2.75 ₡1,233

$1.80 COP 5,707

52.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡871

$1.38 COP 4,382

40.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,488

$3.24 COP 10.3K

2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡1,973

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-20.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.50 COP 4,760

56.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,372

$2.37 COP 7,508

29.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,134

$1.70 COP 5,377

48.82%

Eggs

$3.60 ₡1,612

$2.96 COP 9,379

21.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,726

$10.22 COP 32.4K

3.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,630

$9.74 COP 30.9K

5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,352

$13.90 COP 44.1K

1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ₡2,273

$4.13 COP 13.1K

22.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.53 COP 4,839

2.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,124

$2.22 COP 7,052

113.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 ₡1,782

$2.27 COP 7,194

74.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,754

$1.99 COP 6,311

96.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$1.67 COP 5,285

122.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡505

$1.18 COP 3,742

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,431

$1.24 COP 3,919

157.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,724

$3.87 COP 12.3K

56.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.24 ₡9,076

$13.78 COP 43.7K

46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,274

$1.66 COP 5,256

71.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$2.40 COP 7,615

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 ₡574

$1.24 COP 3,944

3.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,101

$1.28 COP 4,044

91.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$2.15 COP 6,803

-26.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,948

$8.37 COP 26.5K

5.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡671

$1.35 COP 4,288

11.11%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-36.01%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-0.38%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$167 COP 528.4K

-42.14%

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

$35.27 ₡15.8K

$13.62 COP 43.2K

158.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.5K

$29.12 COP 92.3K

103.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 ₡33.0K

$45.09 COP 143.0K

63.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 ₡3,527

$6.97 COP 22.1K

12.91%

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

$993 ₡445.3K

$790 COP 2.5M

25.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$9,041 COP 28.7M

91.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-17.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.3K

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-2.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$139 COP 440.7K

-7.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$98.9 COP 313.5K

35.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡362.3K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-21.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡280.7K

$620 COP 2.0M

1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 ₡838.7K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡577.2K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

27.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 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 Turrialba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turrialba

$626 36.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 1% $6.4

Groceries & Markets

Turrialba

$402 23.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 25.8% $104

Eating Out

Turrialba

$227 13.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 24.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turrialba

$191 11.1%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 9.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Turrialba

$176 10.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 1.7% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Turrialba

$89 5.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 34% $30

Getting Around

Turrialba

$15 * 0.9%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 517% $80

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 Turrialba versus $1,028 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 $61.0 in Turrialba versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Turrialba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h ahead of Turrialba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Turrialba Medellin 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Turrialba
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

Turrialba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Turrialba is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,589 per month in Turrialba and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Turrialba and $47.00 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 Turrialba, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Turrialba at $1,726. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Turrialba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Turrialba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.