Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Curitiba: $1,005 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,005

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,005 in Curitiba versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Curitiba $1,005
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,555 in Curitiba versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Curitiba $1,555
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,105 in Curitiba versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Curitiba $2,105
Medellin $3,186

Living in Curitiba costs roughly 39% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Curitiba is 26% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 R$41.25

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-6.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.75 R$200

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-21.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 R$45.79

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-11.37%

Cappuccino

$2.61 R$14.22

$3.01 COP 9,722

-13.29%

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

$1.04 R$5.63

$1.80 COP 5,801

-42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.76

$1.41 COP 4,554

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R$13.98

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-19.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 R$20.67

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-33.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.49

$1.51 COP 4,869

-33.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$9.32

$2.38 COP 7,667

-28.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.70

$1.77 COP 5,712

-30.51%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.13

$2.89 COP 9,320

-16.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 R$52.8

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R$25.13

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-53.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 R$52.8

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-30.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 R$9.10

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-57.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.43

$1.55 COP 5,005

-35.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.33

$2.18 COP 7,039

-55.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 R$7.00

$2.18 COP 7,041

-40.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.14

$1.96 COP 6,328

-61.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 R$4.03

$1.59 COP 5,125

-53.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.78

$1.15 COP 3,694

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.47

$1.24 COP 4,009

-33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 R$15.44

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-28.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 R$35.93

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-51.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$6.41

$1.66 COP 5,352

-28.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$12.77

$2.26 COP 7,281

3.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R$6.01

$1.17 COP 3,766

-5.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 R$365

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-13.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.49

$1.27 COP 4,089

-6.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.94

$2.05 COP 6,603

-64.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 R$30.05

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-35.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.89

$1.35 COP 4,343

-5.93%

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

$22.6K R$122.8K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-33.76%

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

$31.5K R$171.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-9.17%

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

$98.2 R$534

$170 COP 547.0K

-42.11%

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

$13.78 R$75.0

$13.55 COP 43.7K

1.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.88 R$119

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-22.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$141

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-40.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.57 R$101

$17.19 COP 55.4K

8.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$40.76

$6.91 COP 22.3K

8.39%

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

$358 R$1,948

$797 COP 2.6M

-55.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K R$57.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

15.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R$284

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-38.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 R$281

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-10.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 R$480

$135 COP 435.2K

-34.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 R$405

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-23.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,522

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-61.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,635

$642 COP 2.1M

-53.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 R$4,240

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-61.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,876

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-47.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 R$12.5K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-44.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,708 R$9,288

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-10.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 R$3,538

$657 COP 2.1M

-1.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

10.94

5.48%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$301 29.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 114% $341

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$188 18.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 57.9% $109

Eating Out

Curitiba

$145 14.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 16.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$134 13.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 57.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$120 11.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 40.8% $49

Getting Around

Curitiba

$76 7.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 22.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$41 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 40.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Curitiba and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Curitiba vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $297 per month, with Curitiba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

2 h behind Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Curitiba Medellin 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
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

Curitiba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Curitiba wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Curitiba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,508 in Curitiba 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: $464 in Curitiba versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Curitiba runs roughly 13% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $358 in Curitiba versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Curitiba is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Curitiba delivers better value at $1,005 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Curitiba hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Curitiba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.