Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belo Horizonte and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Belo Horizonte: $971 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Belo Horizonte
Learn more

Belo Horizonte Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil

$971

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $971 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Belo Horizonte $971
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Belo Horizonte versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Belo Horizonte $1,574
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,177 in Belo Horizonte versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Belo Horizonte $2,177
Medellin $3,190

Living in Belo Horizonte costs roughly 40% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belo Horizonte is 28% below, Medellin is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 R$30.57

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-27.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.56 R$190

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-19.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 R$43.99

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-6.06%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R$11.65

$3.05 COP 9,676

-24.59%

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

$1.42 R$7.20

$1.80 COP 5,707

-21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.85

$1.38 COP 4,382

-44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 R$10.96

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 R$18.18

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-35.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.11

$1.50 COP 4,760

-32.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 R$9.06

$2.37 COP 7,508

-24.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 R$10.25

$1.70 COP 5,377

18.82%

Eggs

$2.28 R$11.55

$2.96 COP 9,379

-22.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.0

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-1.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 R$21.75

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-55.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 R$39.87

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-43.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R$9.75

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-53.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.53 COP 4,839

-17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.02

$2.22 COP 7,052

-46.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.10

$2.27 COP 7,194

-29.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.99 COP 6,311

-45.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.91

$1.67 COP 5,285

-41.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.10

$1.18 COP 3,742

-31.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.65

$1.24 COP 3,919

-25.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$12.95

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-34.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 R$39.75

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-43.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R$6.90

$1.66 COP 5,256

-18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R$13.97

$2.40 COP 7,615

15.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 R$6.21

$1.24 COP 3,944

-1.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 R$346

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-12.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 R$5.19

$1.28 COP 4,044

-20.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.85

$2.15 COP 6,803

-64.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 R$32.60

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-23.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.35 COP 4,288

-6.67%

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

$23.3K R$118.3K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-32.89%

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

$33.8K R$171.6K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-2.42%

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

$78.8 R$400

$167 COP 528.4K

-52.71%

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

$10.20 R$51.7

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-25.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.16 R$107

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-27.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.93 R$147

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-35.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.55 R$226

$17.18 COP 54.5K

159.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 R$39.15

$6.97 COP 22.1K

10.76%

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

$463 R$2,348

$790 COP 2.5M

-41.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K R$69.1K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

50.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 R$314

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-29.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.18 R$244

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-17.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R$502

$139 COP 440.7K

-28.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.8 R$369

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-26.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 R$2,882

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-44.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 R$1,449

$620 COP 2.0M

-53.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 R$4,621

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-51.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,008

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-41.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,312 R$11.7K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-42.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 R$5,508

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$624 R$3,161

$663 COP 2.1M

-6.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

10.94

2.83%

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

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belo Horizonte

$286 29.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 117% $334

Groceries & Markets

Belo Horizonte

$198 20.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 50.6% $100

Eating Out

Belo Horizonte

$129 13.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 32.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Belo Horizonte

$127 13.1%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 36.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belo Horizonte

$110 11.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 90.1% $99

Getting Around

Belo Horizonte

$78 8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 22.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Belo Horizonte

$44 4.6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 33% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $569 in Belo Horizonte and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 5% 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: $38.00 in Belo Horizonte vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $295 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

2 h behind Belo Horizonte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,315,560

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belo Horizonte Medellin 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Belo Horizonte
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

Belo Horizonte vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belo Horizonte and Medellin differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($971 vs $1,614 including rent). Belo Horizonte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Medellin. 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: $569 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Belo Horizonte versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $971 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte 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 Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.