Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $916 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Brasilia $916
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Brasilia $1,514
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Brasilia $2,112
Medellin $3,186

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Brasilia is 33% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$8.09 COP 25.4K

4.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-21.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.68

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-16.00%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$3.01 COP 9,485

-15.95%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$1.80 COP 5,660

-21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$1.41 COP 4,443

-29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$3.18 COP 9,990

-30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-34.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$1.51 COP 4,751

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$2.38 COP 7,480

-18.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.77 COP 5,573

-29.94%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$2.89 COP 9,093

-21.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$10.19 COP 32.1K

9.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-60.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-38.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.33

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-41.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.55 COP 4,883

-10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$2.18 COP 6,867

-42.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$2.18 COP 6,870

-30.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.96 COP 6,174

-43.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$1.59 COP 5,000

-38.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$1.15 COP 3,604

-33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$1.24 COP 3,911

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-40.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-43.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.66 COP 5,221

-25.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$2.26 COP 7,103

4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$1.17 COP 3,674

-37.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-61.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$1.27 COP 3,989

-20.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$2.05 COP 6,442

-58.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-32.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

$1.35 COP 4,237

-7.41%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-35.56%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-8.13%

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

$92.1 R$493

$170 COP 533.7K

-45.70%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-12.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-25.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-30.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$17.19 COP 54.1K

52.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$6.91 COP 21.7K

7.96%

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

$764 R$4,087

$797 COP 2.5M

-4.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

72.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-37.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-27.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$135 COP 424.6K

-41.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,765

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-57.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$642 COP 2.0M

-62.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,183

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-42.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-42.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-42.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,972

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-12.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,194

$657 COP 2.1M

19.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.94

10.79%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 166% $400

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 48.1% $96

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 13.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 69.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 45.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 26.7% $12

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 146% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $297 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

11:07 11:07 AM

2 h behind Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

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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Between locations

Brasilia Medellin 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Brasilia
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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

Brasilia vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Medellin differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($916 vs $1,639 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Brasilia, 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: $517 in Brasilia 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 Brasilia – a meal for two runs $37 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $916 per month in Brasilia versus $1,639 in Medellin – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $916 in Brasilia versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.