Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boa Vista and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Boa Vista: $758 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Boa Vista
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Boa Vista Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $758 per month in Boa Vista vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Boa Vista $758
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Boa Vista vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,132
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,506 per month in Boa Vista vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,506
Medellin $3,249

Boa Vista is about 55% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Boa Vista sits 44% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 R$39.15

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-14.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.99 R$121

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-52.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 R$43.48

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-16.37%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$13.69

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-20.45%

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

$0.82 R$4.52

$1.77 COP 5,728

-53.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.46

$1.42 COP 4,620

-68.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 R$7.43

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 R$11.27

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-64.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 R$12.38

$1.53 COP 4,971

47.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 R$9.46

$2.29 COP 7,431

-24.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.22

$1.94 COP 6,308

-31.96%

Eggs

$2.72 R$14.95

$3.07 COP 9,945

-11.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$50.4

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-8.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.17 R$28.36

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-50.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.13 R$50.1

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-34.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.89

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-46.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.63

$1.53 COP 4,957

-20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R$9.00

$2.10 COP 6,825

-21.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.82

$2.29 COP 7,439

-21.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 R$5.14

$2.11 COP 6,841

-55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.24

$1.71 COP 5,543

-43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.94

$1.17 COP 3,795

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.97

$1.58 COP 5,125

-54.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.61 R$14.33

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-33.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 R$61.1

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$10.45

$1.76 COP 5,714

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$7.25

$2.71 COP 8,796

-51.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.26

$1.18 COP 3,826

-18.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.75

$1.28 COP 4,136

-3.91%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

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

$26.1K R$143.4K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-23.43%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

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

$17.20 R$94.4

$13.89 COP 45.0K

23.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.22 R$160

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-4.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 R$169

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-26.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 R$32.73

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-20.21%

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

$171 R$940

$790 COP 2.6M

-78.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.45 R$123

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-74.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.46 R$123

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-62.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.5 R$354

$138 COP 448.7K

-53.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.95 R$170

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-68.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 R$1,829

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-75.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 R$1,397

$667 COP 2.2M

-61.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,554

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-76.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 R$1,850

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-67.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$737 R$4,046

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-82.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 R$4,058

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-61.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 R$2,694

$646 COP 2.1M

-24.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Boa Vista: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boa Vista

$254 33.6%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 162% $413

Groceries & Markets

Boa Vista

$221 29.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 39.1% $86

Eating Out

Boa Vista

$127 16.7%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 36.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Boa Vista

$63 8.3%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 173% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boa Vista

$46 * 6.1%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 379% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Boa Vista

$43 5.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 33.1% $14

Getting Around

Boa Vista

$3.8 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 2340% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Boa Vista 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.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Boa Vista versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $307 – making Boa Vista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Boa Vista

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

1 h behind Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

413,486

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boa Vista Medellin 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Boa Vista
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

Boa Vista vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 123% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,138 per month in Boa Vista 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 Boa Vista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $758 in Boa Vista and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Boa Vista about 55% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $171 per month in Boa Vista and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

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