Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brainerd, MN and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,441 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
Learn more

Brainerd, MN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,441

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,441 in Brainerd, MN versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Brainerd, MN $2,441
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,450 in Brainerd, MN versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Brainerd, MN $3,450
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,460 in Brainerd, MN versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Brainerd, MN $4,460
Medellin $3,186

Living in Brainerd, MN is roughly 49% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brainerd, MN 79% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.37 $14.37

$8.09 COP 26.1K

77.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.35 $38.35

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-18.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$9.50 COP 30.7K

5.68%

Cappuccino

$1.94 $1.94

$3.01 COP 9,735

-35.55%

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

$2.09 $2.09

$1.80 COP 5,809

16.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.41 COP 4,561

34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.18 COP 10.3K

84.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$5.75 COP 18.6K

2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.51 COP 4,876

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.38 COP 7,678

36.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.77 COP 5,720

92.66%

Eggs

$2.43 $2.43

$2.89 COP 9,333

-15.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-7.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-5.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 $13.23

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-5.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.97 COP 12.8K

24.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.55 COP 5,012

-25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$2.18 COP 7,048

176.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.18 COP 7,051

122.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.96 COP 6,337

94.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.59 COP 5,132

121.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.15 COP 3,699

78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.24 COP 4,014

36.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 $11.90

$3.96 COP 12.8K

200.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 $12.77

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-6.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.66 COP 5,359

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.26 COP 7,291

52.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.17 COP 3,771

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 $59.7

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-22.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.27 COP 4,094

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.05 COP 6,612

-25.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.96 $30.96

$8.55 COP 27.6K

262.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.35 COP 4,349

-36.30%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-18.90%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-26.07%

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

$233 $233

$170 COP 547.8K

37.09%

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

$45.13 $45.13

$13.55 COP 43.8K

233.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$28.07 COP 90.6K

112.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.00 $42.00

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-3.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 $9.19

$6.91 COP 22.3K

33.00%

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

$1,221 $1,221

$797 COP 2.6M

53.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K $28.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

209.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.67 $40.67

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-51.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.75 $40.75

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-29.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 $60.1

$135 COP 435.8K

-55.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 $64.5

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-34.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$1,208 COP 3.9M

32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$642 COP 2.1M

102.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,475 $2,475

$2,028 COP 6.5M

22.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 $2,152

$1,012 COP 3.3M

112.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 $2,434

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-41.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,377 $2,377

$1,910 COP 6.2M

24.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

10.94

-42.32%

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

Last update for Brainerd, MN: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 53.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 50.6% $658

Groceries & Markets

Brainerd, MN

$348 14.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brainerd, MN

$337 13.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 37.4% $126

Eating Out

Brainerd, MN

$225 9.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 24.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 82.3% $76

Getting Around

Brainerd, MN

$78 3.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 20.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Brainerd, MN

$60 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 4.7% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Brainerd, MN and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Brainerd, MN vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $297, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

1 h ahead of Brainerd, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,722

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brainerd, MN Medellin 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Brainerd, MN
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

Brainerd, MN vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,661 in Brainerd, MN and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,604 in Brainerd, MN 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 Brainerd, MN – a meal for two runs $38 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,441 per month in Brainerd, MN versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.