Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brades and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $923 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$923

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $923 in Brades versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Brades $923
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,139 in Brades versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Brades $2,139
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,355 in Brades versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Brades $3,355
Medellin $3,186

Living in Brades costs roughly 44% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brades is 32% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 EC$50.5

$8.09 COP 25.6K

131.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.37 EC$128

$47.05 COP 148.7K

0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 EC$32.78

$9.50 COP 30.0K

27.79%

Cappuccino

$7.14 EC$19.27

$3.01 COP 9,532

137.21%

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

$2.80 EC$7.55

$1.80 COP 5,688

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 EC$4.26

$1.41 COP 4,465

12.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 EC$7.90

$3.18 COP 10.0K

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 EC$12.22

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-21.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.47 EC$9.37

$1.51 COP 4,774

129.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 EC$7.96

$2.38 COP 7,517

23.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,601

Eggs

$7.07 EC$19.08

$2.89 COP 9,138

144.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.76 EC$15.54

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 EC$24.59

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-7.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 EC$61.8

$13.99 COP 44.2K

63.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 EC$9.03

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-15.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,907

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,901

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 EC$11.82

$2.18 COP 6,904

100.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,205

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 EC$6.07

$1.59 COP 5,025

41.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.21 EC$14.06

$1.15 COP 3,622

353.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,930

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

Wine (Bottle)

$22.17 EC$59.9

$13.68 COP 43.3K

62.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,247

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 EC$12.19

$2.26 COP 7,139

99.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 EC$5.11

$1.17 COP 3,692

61.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,009

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.70 EC$12.68

$2.05 COP 6,474

129.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 EC$5.12

$8.55 COP 27.0K

-77.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

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

$22.2K EC$60.0K

$34.1K COP 107.7M

-34.78%

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

$15.0K EC$40.4K

$34.7K COP 109.6M

-56.82%

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

$92.8 EC$250

$170 COP 536.4K

-45.32%

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

$40.24 EC$109

$13.55 COP 42.8K

196.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.18 EC$130

$28.07 COP 88.7K

71.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 EC$152

$43.70 COP 138.2K

29.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

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

$797 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 267.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 EC$3,499

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-36.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 EC$3,455

$1,012 COP 3.2M

26.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,320 EC$3,563

$657 COP 2.1M

100.84%

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 Brades: 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

Brades

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Brades

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brades

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Brades

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Brades

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Brades

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Brades

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Brades vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $341 vs $297, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇸 Brades

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h behind Brades

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400

2,486,723

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brades Medellin 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brades
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

Brades vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Brades is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $923 per month in Brades versus $1,639 in Medellin – Brades is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Brades is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.