Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapeco and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
Learn more

Chapeco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Chapeco versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Chapeco $980
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,454 in Chapeco versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Chapeco $1,454
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,927 in Chapeco versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Chapeco $1,927
Medellin $3,199

Living in Chapeco costs roughly 40% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chapeco is 28% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 R$28.05

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-33.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.46 R$180

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-24.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 R$45.20

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-3.46%

Cappuccino

$1.92 R$9.76

$3.05 COP 9,676

-37.05%

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

$0.75 R$3.80

$1.80 COP 5,707

-58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.98

$1.38 COP 4,382

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 R$7.33

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R$11.73

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-58.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 R$4.56

$1.50 COP 4,760

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R$5.78

$2.37 COP 7,508

-51.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.70 COP 5,377

25.88%

Eggs

$1.86 R$9.44

$2.96 COP 9,379

-37.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 R$41.75

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.53 R$38.20

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-22.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.95 R$55.5

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-21.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 R$11.88

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-43.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.02

$1.53 COP 4,839

-35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.68

$2.22 COP 7,052

-76.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.54

$2.27 COP 7,194

-69.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.70

$1.99 COP 6,311

-73.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.70

$1.67 COP 5,285

-68.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.18 COP 3,742

-19.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.53

$1.24 COP 3,919

-43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 R$11.75

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-40.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 R$47.19

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-32.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.48

$1.66 COP 5,256

-46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.49

$2.40 COP 7,615

-38.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.94

$1.24 COP 3,944

-21.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.44 R$185

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-53.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$5.93

$1.35 COP 4,288

-13.33%

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

$22.9K R$116.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-34.20%

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

$30.5K R$154.6K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-12.05%

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

$172 R$873

$167 COP 528.4K

3.29%

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

$10.47 R$53.1

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-23.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 R$95.5

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-35.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.24 R$133

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-41.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.45 R$170

$17.18 COP 54.5K

94.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 R$33.86

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-4.16%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.98 R$137

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-69.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.26 R$92.6

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-68.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.87 R$187

$139 COP 440.7K

-73.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 R$272

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R$2,103

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 R$1,668

$620 COP 2.0M

-46.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,313

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-54.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 R$2,718

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-46.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,509 R$7,649

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-62.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$987 R$5,005

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-41.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$414 R$2,097

$663 COP 2.1M

-37.64%

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 Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chapeco

$329 33.6%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 88.3% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapeco

$201 20.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 3.9% $7.9

Groceries & Markets

Chapeco

$196 20%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 52.2% $102

Eating Out

Chapeco

$111 11.4%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 53.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Chapeco

$61 6.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 183% $112

Getting Around

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 129% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chapeco

$40 4%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 49.1% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Chapeco and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 60% 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: $35.00 in Chapeco vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $298 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

2 h behind Chapeco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

243,477

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chapeco Medellin 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chapeco
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

Chapeco vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Medellin. 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: $415 in Chapeco versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $980 per month in Chapeco versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $980 in Chapeco versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.