Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Guarulhos $964
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,764
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,565
Medellin $3,199

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

Guarulhos sits 29% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.69 R$44.06

$8.30 COP 26.3K

4.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.01 R$203

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-14.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 R$45.61

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-2.60%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R$12.50

$3.05 COP 9,676

-19.34%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$1.80 COP 5,707

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.38 COP 4,382

-37.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 R$19.65

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-30.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.50 COP 4,760

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 R$9.52

$2.37 COP 7,508

-20.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.70 COP 5,377

-21.76%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.96 COP 9,379

-16.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$10.22 COP 32.4K

23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 R$24.27

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-50.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.3

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-23.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.07

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-42.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.71

$1.53 COP 4,839

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$2.22 COP 7,052

-31.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$2.27 COP 7,194

-32.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.99 COP 6,311

-36.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.00

$1.67 COP 5,285

-29.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.18 COP 3,742

-16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.32

$1.24 COP 3,919

-31.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.65

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-35.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 R$50.1

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-28.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.62

$1.66 COP 5,256

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.40 COP 7,615

3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 R$6.30

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 R$532

$78.2 COP 248.0K

34.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.94

$1.28 COP 4,044

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.64

$2.15 COP 6,803

-66.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 R$43.03

$8.37 COP 26.5K

1.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.35 COP 4,288

-5.19%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-32.16%

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

$34.2K R$173.5K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-1.35%

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

$91.6 R$465

$167 COP 528.4K

-45.01%

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

$14.98 R$75.9

$13.62 COP 43.2K

9.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-23.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.22 R$143

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-37.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 R$50.9

$6.97 COP 22.1K

44.19%

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

$429 R$2,173

$790 COP 2.5M

-45.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$56.0K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

22.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 R$330

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-25.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 R$289

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R$467

$139 COP 440.7K

-33.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 R$403

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-19.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,770

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-66.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$801

$620 COP 2.0M

-74.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 R$5,042

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-47.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$3,895

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-23.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,944 R$9,855

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-51.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 R$7,502

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-13.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 R$1,914

$663 COP 2.1M

-43.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

10.94

2.83%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarulhos

$227 23.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 31.3% $71

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$158 16.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 292% $462

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$155 16.1%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 10.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$132 13.7%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 30.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$129 13.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 62.4% $80

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$115 11.9%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 17% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$48 5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 22.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos 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 76% 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $298 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

2 h behind Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

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 20, 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 20, 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

Guarulhos Medellin 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarulhos
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

Guarulhos vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 69% more than Guarulhos, 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 $1,446 per month in Guarulhos and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos 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 $964 in Guarulhos and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,625 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 Guarulhos. 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.