Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blumenau - Santa Catarina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Blumenau - Santa Catarina: $954 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Blumenau - Santa Catarina
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Blumenau - Santa Catarina Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Blumenau - Santa Catarina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$954

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $954 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Blumenau - Santa Catarina $954
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,534 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Blumenau - Santa Catarina $1,534
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,113 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Blumenau - Santa Catarina $2,113
Medellin $3,186

Living in Blumenau - Santa Catarina costs roughly 42% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Blumenau - Santa Catarina is 30% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 R$34.50

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.27 R$226

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-10.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 R$40.58

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-20.11%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R$11.92

$3.01 COP 9,485

-25.91%

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

$1.26 R$6.74

$1.80 COP 5,660

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$4.18

$1.41 COP 4,443

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 R$14.82

$3.18 COP 9,990

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 R$17.95

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-41.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 R$4.59

$1.51 COP 4,751

-43.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$8.10

$2.38 COP 7,480

-36.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.77 COP 5,573

-33.90%

Eggs

$1.86 R$9.93

$2.89 COP 9,093

-35.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 R$49.60

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-8.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$21.96

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-58.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R$40.44

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-45.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$11.27

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-46.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 R$5.07

$1.55 COP 4,883

-38.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.71

$2.18 COP 6,867

-33.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.26

$2.18 COP 6,870

-28.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R$7.98

$1.96 COP 6,174

-23.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.78

$1.59 COP 5,000

-32.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$1.15 COP 3,604

-33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.27

$1.24 COP 3,911

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 R$11.09

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-47.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 R$40.85

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-44.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 R$8.91

$1.66 COP 5,221

0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 R$20.62

$2.26 COP 7,103

70.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.84

$1.17 COP 3,674

-6.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.0 R$289

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-30.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.86

$1.27 COP 3,989

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R$2.67

$2.05 COP 6,442

-75.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 R$14.51

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-68.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.42

$1.35 COP 4,237

-11.11%

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

$21.7K R$116.1K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-36.27%

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

$30.5K R$163.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-11.98%

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

$112 R$601

$170 COP 533.7K

-33.77%

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

$11.74 R$62.8

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.03 R$112

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-25.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.65 R$126

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-45.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.49 R$98.9

$17.19 COP 54.1K

7.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 R$31.34

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-15.20%

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

$381 R$2,036

$797 COP 2.5M

-52.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,729 R$36.0K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-26.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 R$371

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-18.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 R$206

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-33.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R$584

$135 COP 424.6K

-19.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 R$494

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-5.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 R$1,999

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-69.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$255 R$1,366

$642 COP 2.0M

-60.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 R$3,855

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-64.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 R$2,884

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-46.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,624 R$8,685

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-61.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,271 R$6,794

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-33.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$719 R$3,847

$657 COP 2.1M

9.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.27

10.94

-6.12%

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

Last update for Blumenau - Santa Catarina: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Blumenau - Santa Catarina

$255 26.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 151% $386

Groceries & Markets

Blumenau - Santa Catarina

$187 19.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 58.7% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blumenau - Santa Catarina

$145 15.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 45.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Blumenau - Santa Catarina

$139 14.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 21.3% $30

Eating Out

Blumenau - Santa Catarina

$130 13.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 30.6% $40

Getting Around

Blumenau - Santa Catarina

$62 6.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 50.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Blumenau - Santa Catarina

$35 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 62.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $374 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Blumenau - Santa Catarina pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $297 per month, with Blumenau - Santa Catarina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Blumenau - Santa Catarina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

10:00 10:00 AM

2 h behind Blumenau - Santa Catarina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

361,261

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Blumenau - Santa Catarina Medellin 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Blumenau - Santa Catarina
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

Blumenau - Santa Catarina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Blumenau - Santa Catarina and Medellin differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($954 vs $1,639 including rent). Blumenau - Santa Catarina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Blumenau - Santa Catarina, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $374 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Blumenau - Santa Catarina – a meal for two runs $42 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $954 per month in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $1,639 in Medellin – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $954 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Blumenau - Santa Catarina but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Blumenau - Santa Catarina 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 Blumenau - Santa Catarina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.