Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Florianopolis and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Florianopolis: $1,279 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Florianopolis
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Florianopolis Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Florianopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,279

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,279 in Florianopolis versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Florianopolis $1,279
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,061 in Florianopolis versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Florianopolis $2,061
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,844 in Florianopolis versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Florianopolis $2,844
Medellin $3,190

Living in Florianopolis costs roughly 21% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Florianopolis is 5% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 R$49.62

$7.93 COP 25.2K

23.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 R$225

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-3.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 R$39.65

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-17.68%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R$12.53

$3.11 COP 9,866

-20.58%

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

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.83 COP 5,800

-26.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.38 COP 4,360

-18.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R$15.17

$3.05 COP 9,672

-1.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 R$17.87

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-35.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.24

$1.45 COP 4,600

-28.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.36 COP 7,496

-31.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.75

$1.68 COP 5,328

-20.83%

Eggs

$2.66 R$13.48

$2.86 COP 9,077

-6.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 R$50.1

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.66

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-57.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 R$51.5

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-27.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 R$12.30

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-40.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.58

$1.50 COP 4,742

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$2.17 COP 6,891

-29.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 R$8.67

$2.31 COP 7,310

-25.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.55

$1.93 COP 6,113

-43.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.58

$1.64 COP 5,196

-45.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.17

$1.13 COP 3,571

-27.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.62

$1.25 COP 3,954

-43.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 R$15.36

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-24.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 R$51.7

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-23.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 R$7.56

$1.70 COP 5,384

-12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 R$14.98

$2.37 COP 7,525

24.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R$7.08

$1.21 COP 3,827

15.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 R$424

$76.5 COP 242.5K

9.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.32 COP 4,179

19.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 R$7.91

$2.14 COP 6,774

-27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.99 R$60.8

$8.47 COP 26.8K

41.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.81

$1.30 COP 4,114

3.08%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-15.79%

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

$35.1K R$177.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-0.97%

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

$86.7 R$439

$172 COP 545.6K

-49.65%

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

$12.69 R$64.3

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.36 R$113

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-22.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 R$152

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-33.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.97 R$96.2

$17.04 COP 54.0K

11.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 R$40.75

$6.28 COP 19.9K

28.03%

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

$777 R$3,940

$770 COP 2.4M

0.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

24.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.8 R$333

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-23.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.8 R$364

$57.1 COP 181.1K

25.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R$577

$137 COP 432.9K

-16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 R$352

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 R$3,333

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-37.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 R$2,517

$616 COP 2.0M

-19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 R$7,014

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-26.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 R$5,333

$1,023 COP 3.2M

2.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 R$14.3K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-30.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,604 R$8,133

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-4.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,034 R$5,244

$652 COP 2.1M

58.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.61

10.94

-3.02%

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

Last update for Florianopolis: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Florianopolis

$497 38.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 24% $119

Groceries & Markets

Florianopolis

$208 16.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 41.5% $86

Eating Out

Florianopolis

$163 12.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 3.1% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Florianopolis

$144 11.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 17.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Florianopolis

$122 9.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 76% $92

Getting Around

Florianopolis

$99 7.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 5.3% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Florianopolis

$46 3.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 25.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $657 in Florianopolis and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Florianopolis pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Florianopolis vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $295 per month, with Florianopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Florianopolis

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

2 h behind Florianopolis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

537,211

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Florianopolis Medellin 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Florianopolis
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

Florianopolis vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Florianopolis wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Florianopolis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Florianopolis, 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: $657 in Florianopolis versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Florianopolis – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,279 per month in Florianopolis versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,279 in Florianopolis versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Florianopolis but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Florianopolis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Florianopolis delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,279 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Florianopolis hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Florianopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.