Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $868 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
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Cotia Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $868 per month in Cotia vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Cotia $868
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Cotia vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Cotia $1,421
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,974 per month in Cotia vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Cotia $1,974
Medellin $3,249

Cotia is about 49% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cotia sits 36% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.41 R$34.86

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-23.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.71 R$205

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-18.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 R$45.22

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-12.14%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.27

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-22.04%

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

$1.32 R$7.18

$1.77 COP 5,700

-25.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 R$5.88

$1.42 COP 4,597

-23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 R$14.46

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-15.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 R$21.84

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-29.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R$6.06

$1.53 COP 4,946

-26.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 R$9.53

$2.29 COP 7,394

-23.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.26

$1.94 COP 6,276

-40.72%

Eggs

$2.68 R$14.55

$3.07 COP 9,895

-12.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 R$61.2

$9.99 COP 32.2K

12.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 R$23.53

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-58.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 R$54.7

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-27.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 R$13.77

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-37.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.03

$1.53 COP 4,932

8.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.95

$2.10 COP 6,791

-30.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R$9.56

$2.29 COP 7,402

-23.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 R$7.26

$2.11 COP 6,807

-36.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.56

$1.71 COP 5,515

-29.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.57

$1.17 COP 3,776

-28.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.75

$1.58 COP 5,099

-56.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 R$14.29

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-32.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 R$45.04

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-41.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R$8.72

$1.76 COP 5,685

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R$12.58

$2.71 COP 8,752

-14.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.13

$1.18 COP 3,807

-20.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.38 R$230

$76.3 COP 246.2K

-44.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.56

$1.81 COP 5,831

-33.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.86

$2.13 COP 6,871

-58.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 R$48.04

$8.13 COP 26.2K

8.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.69

$1.28 COP 4,115

-3.91%

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

$21.8K R$118.6K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-36.64%

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

$31.7K R$172.4K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-7.12%

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

$41.28 R$224

$178 COP 573.5K

-76.77%

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

$13.58 R$73.8

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-2.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.86 R$91.7

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-45.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 R$132

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-41.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.53 R$139

$16.80 COP 54.2K

51.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R$39.94

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-1.61%

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

$401 R$2,183

$790 COP 2.5M

-49.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,110 R$38.7K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-42.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R$287

$86.3 COP 278.6K

-38.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 R$296

$59.3 COP 191.2K

-8.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 R$491

$138 COP 446.4K

-34.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 R$429

$98.8 COP 318.9K

-20.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 R$1,847

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-74.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 R$1,250

$667 COP 2.2M

-65.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R$3,497

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 R$2,455

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-56.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,611 R$8,757

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-60.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,144 R$6,221

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-41.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

10.94

1.65%

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

Last update for Cotia: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cotia

$230 26.5%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 190% $437

Groceries & Markets

Cotia

$214 24.7%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 43.5% $93

Eating Out

Cotia

$136 15.7%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 26.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cotia

$124 14.3%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 38.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotia

$72 8.3%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 210% $151

Getting Around

Cotia

$52 6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 80.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cotia

$39 4.5%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 45.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in Cotia versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Cotia versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $307 – making Cotia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cotia

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

2 h behind Cotia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

274,413

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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Between locations

Cotia Medellin 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotia
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

Cotia vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 95% more than Cotia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,301 per month in Cotia and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cotia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Cotia and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $868 in Cotia and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Cotia about 49% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $868 in Cotia and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cotia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cotia is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.