Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
Learn more

Belem Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Belem versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Belem $877
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,329 in Belem versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Belem $1,329
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,781 in Belem versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Belem $1,781
Medellin $3,186

Living in Belem costs roughly 47% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belem is 36% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 R$25.08

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-42.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.25 R$98.2

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-61.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 R$35.22

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-31.16%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$9.28

$3.01 COP 9,735

-42.86%

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

$0.99 R$5.34

$1.80 COP 5,809

-45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 R$2.35

$1.41 COP 4,561

-68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 R$8.10

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-52.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 R$11.70

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-62.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.92

$1.51 COP 4,876

-14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 R$12.54

$2.38 COP 7,678

-2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.70

$1.77 COP 5,720

-29.38%

Eggs

$1.98 R$10.67

$2.89 COP 9,333

-31.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R$45.44

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-17.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.16

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-58.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 R$39.00

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-48.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 R$12.05

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-43.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.12

$1.55 COP 5,012

-14.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.48

$2.18 COP 7,048

-36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.37

$2.18 COP 7,051

-28.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.21

$1.96 COP 6,337

-50.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 R$2.89

$1.59 COP 5,132

-66.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 R$6.80

$1.15 COP 3,699

9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$7.36

$1.24 COP 4,014

10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 R$13.19

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-38.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.32 R$50.2

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-31.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$7.18

$1.66 COP 5,359

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 R$24.35

$2.26 COP 7,291

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.85

$1.17 COP 3,771

-23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.93 R$172

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-58.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.93

$1.27 COP 4,094

-13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R$5.90

$2.05 COP 6,612

-46.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$42.64

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-7.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.21

$1.35 COP 4,349

-14.81%

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

$21.8K R$117.5K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-35.93%

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

$30.0K R$161.6K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-13.41%

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

$93.5 R$503

$170 COP 547.8K

-44.88%

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

$10.82 R$58.3

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-20.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.78 R$160

$28.07 COP 90.6K

6.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.33 R$109

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-53.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 R$199

$17.19 COP 55.5K

115.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.15

$6.91 COP 22.3K

7.96%

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

$104 R$561

$797 COP 2.6M

-86.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 R$17.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-64.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.81 R$166

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-63.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.86 R$225

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-27.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 R$407

$135 COP 435.8K

-43.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.4 R$330

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-37.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 R$2,709

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-58.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 R$1,436

$642 COP 2.1M

-58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R$4,506

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-58.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 R$2,611

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-52.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,865 R$10.0K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-55.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,302 R$7,005

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-31.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$386 R$2,079

$657 COP 2.1M

-41.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

10.94

4.94%

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

Last update for Belem: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belem

$267 30.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 141% $375

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$209 23.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 42.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$134 15.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 57.5% $77

Eating Out

Belem

$95 10.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 78.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$94 10.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 79.1% $75

Getting Around

Belem

$42 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 122% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$35 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 63.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Belem and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 70% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18 in Belem vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $297 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

23:37 11:37 PM

2 h behind Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belem Medellin 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Belem
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

Belem vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Belem. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Belem versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 59% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $104 in Belem versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $877 in Belem versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.