Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caruaru and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $611 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $611 in Caruaru versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Caruaru $611
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,000 in Caruaru versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Caruaru $1,000
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,388 in Caruaru versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Caruaru $1,388
Medellin $3,249

Living in Caruaru costs roughly 64% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Caruaru is 55% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 R$29.16

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-35.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.77 R$151

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-40.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 R$41.18

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-20.06%

Cappuccino

$1.48 R$8.06

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-52.72%

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

$0.97 R$5.30

$1.77 COP 5,700

-45.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.24

$1.42 COP 4,597

-57.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 R$8.41

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-50.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 R$12.24

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-60.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.85

$1.53 COP 4,946

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R$5.59

$2.29 COP 7,394

-55.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.86

$1.94 COP 6,276

-35.05%

Eggs

$1.88 R$10.23

$3.07 COP 9,895

-38.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.19 R$22.76

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-58.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 R$24.53

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-56.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.99 R$38.02

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-49.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.86

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-68.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 R$4.95

$1.53 COP 4,932

-40.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.15

$2.10 COP 6,791

-63.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.87

$2.29 COP 7,402

-52.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R$8.13

$2.11 COP 6,807

-29.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.43

$1.71 COP 5,515

-30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.75

$1.17 COP 3,776

-41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$4.17

$1.58 COP 5,099

-51.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 R$14.74

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-30.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 R$40.29

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-47.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 R$8.52

$1.76 COP 5,685

-10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 R$11.78

$2.71 COP 8,752

-19.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.33

$1.18 COP 3,807

-32.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.98 R$136

$76.3 COP 246.2K

-67.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R$5.82

$1.81 COP 5,831

-40.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 R$9.88

$2.13 COP 6,871

-14.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 R$15.68

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-64.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.66

$1.28 COP 4,115

-4.69%

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

$21.8K R$118.7K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-36.59%

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

$30.4K R$165.4K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-10.84%

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

$51.8 R$282

$178 COP 573.5K

-70.84%

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

$7.32 R$39.81

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-47.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 R$49.83

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-70.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.86 R$75.4

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-66.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.91 R$152

$16.80 COP 54.2K

66.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 R$36.72

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-9.64%

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

$102 R$556

$790 COP 2.5M

-87.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,162 R$33.5K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-49.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.72 R$200

$86.3 COP 278.6K

-57.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.83 R$249

$59.3 COP 191.2K

-22.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 R$443

$138 COP 446.4K

-41.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 R$326

$98.8 COP 318.9K

-39.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 R$825

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-88.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 R$645

$667 COP 2.2M

-82.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 R$1,787

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-83.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 R$1,280

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-77.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 R$1,296

$646 COP 2.1M

-63.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Caruaru: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Caruaru

$156 25.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 97.4% $152

Accommodation & Living

Caruaru

$119 19.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 462% $549

Eating Out

Caruaru

$102 16.7%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 69.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Caruaru

$101 16.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 70.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caruaru

$68 11.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 226% $154

Getting Around

Caruaru

$38 6.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 144% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Caruaru

$27 4.5%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 108% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Caruaru and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.7 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28 in Caruaru vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $156 vs $307 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

2 h behind Caruaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

377,911

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Caruaru Medellin 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Caruaru
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

Caruaru vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $611 in Caruaru and $1,692 in Medellin, so Caruaru is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Caruaru. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $152 in Caruaru versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $102 in Caruaru versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $611 in Caruaru versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.