Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fortaleza and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Fortaleza: $942 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Fortaleza
Learn more

Fortaleza Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Fortaleza

🇧🇷 Brazil

$942

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $942 per month in Fortaleza vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Fortaleza $942
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $1,419 per month in Fortaleza vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Fortaleza $1,419
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $1,897 per month in Fortaleza vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Fortaleza $1,897
Medellin $3,139

Fortaleza is about 41% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Fortaleza sits 30% below the global median, while Medellin is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 R$29.79

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-25.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.26 R$151

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-34.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 R$39.22

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-16.65%

Cappuccino

$2.26 R$11.26

$2.91 COP 9,277

-22.34%

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

$1.20 R$6.00

$1.75 COP 5,585

-31.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.42

$1.32 COP 4,218

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R$11.29

$3.13 COP 9,969

-27.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 R$19.89

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-28.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.95

$1.41 COP 4,495

-15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$9.89

$2.44 COP 7,777

-18.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 R$5.74

$1.63 COP 5,191

-29.45%

Eggs

$1.86 R$9.29

$2.82 COP 8,990

-34.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 R$38.73

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 R$20.22

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-56.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.48 R$47.34

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-29.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 R$14.28

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-28.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.60

$1.48 COP 4,719

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.14

$2.12 COP 6,768

-60.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R$8.69

$2.25 COP 7,178

-22.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.40

$1.91 COP 6,092

-32.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.58

$1.62 COP 5,160

-30.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 R$4.99

$1.15 COP 3,658

-13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.14

$1.26 COP 4,021

-18.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 R$10.63

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-44.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 R$35.25

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R$7.67

$1.60 COP 5,083

-3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 R$8.26

$2.26 COP 7,188

-26.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.89

$1.17 COP 3,731

-16.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 R$98.6

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-73.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 R$7.17

$1.27 COP 4,056

13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R$3.99

$2.05 COP 6,531

-60.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 R$37.08

$8.20 COP 26.1K

-9.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.63

$1.27 COP 4,046

4.72%

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

$23.6K R$117.7K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-11.90%

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

$32.0K R$159.8K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-6.95%

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

$127 R$634

$162 COP 516.9K

-21.75%

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

$10.79 R$53.9

$13.12 COP 41.8K

-17.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.43 R$107

$28.09 COP 89.5K

-23.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.70 R$133

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-39.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.44 R$217

$16.33 COP 52.0K

166.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.89 R$29.38

$6.09 COP 19.4K

-3.28%

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

$207 R$1,033

$764 COP 2.4M

-72.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,034 R$20.1K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-54.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 R$335

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-21.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$304

$57.5 COP 183.2K

6.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 R$630

$132 COP 419.8K

-4.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 R$344

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,137

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-58.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,177

$604 COP 1.9M

-60.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$2,917

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-67.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R$1,792

$993 COP 3.2M

-63.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,653 R$13.2K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-32.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,184 R$5,909

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-27.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$482 R$2,404

$626 COP 2.0M

-23.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

10.94

4.02%

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

Last update for Fortaleza: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fortaleza

$236 25.3%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 156% $369

Groceries & Markets

Fortaleza

$198 21.2%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 46% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fortaleza

$159 17.1%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 27.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Fortaleza

$145 15.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 14.5% $21

Eating Out

Fortaleza

$125 13.5%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 32.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Fortaleza

$38 4.1%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 46.9% $18

Getting Around

Fortaleza

$29 3.1%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 214% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $428 in Fortaleza versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Fortaleza versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $288 – making Fortaleza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Fortaleza

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

03:38 3:38 AM

2 h behind Fortaleza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,428,708

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fortaleza Medellin 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Fortaleza
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

Fortaleza vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 69% more than Fortaleza, 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 $1,413 per month in Fortaleza and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fortaleza, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Fortaleza and $47.00 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 $942 in Fortaleza and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Fortaleza, where all-in costs run around $942, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Fortaleza it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fortaleza costs $942 versus $1,589 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Fortaleza. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.