Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imbituba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $852 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Imbituba
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Imbituba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$852

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Imbituba versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Imbituba $852
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,353 in Imbituba versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Imbituba $1,353
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,854 in Imbituba versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Imbituba $1,854
Medellin $3,199

Living in Imbituba costs roughly 48% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Imbituba is 37% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.96 R$25.13

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.58 R$155

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-34.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 R$35.11

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-25.00%

Cappuccino

$2.01 R$10.18

$3.05 COP 9,676

-34.10%

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

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.80 COP 5,707

-37.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.48

$1.38 COP 4,382

-64.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.07

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-57.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.86

$1.50 COP 4,760

-36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 R$6.26

$2.37 COP 7,508

-48.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.70 COP 5,377

-49.41%

Eggs

$2.23 R$11.33

$2.96 COP 9,379

-24.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R$42.95

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-17.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 R$16.00

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-67.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R$33.47

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-52.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.22

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-60.77%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 R$4.00

$1.53 COP 4,839

-48.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$2.22 COP 7,052

-44.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 R$3.96

$2.27 COP 7,194

-65.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.15

$1.99 COP 6,311

-58.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.16

$1.67 COP 5,285

-26.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R$7.77

$1.18 COP 3,742

29.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.79

$1.24 COP 3,919

-24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R$15.82

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-19.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 R$49.48

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.96

$1.66 COP 5,256

-28.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 R$16.10

$2.40 COP 7,615

32.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.24 COP 3,944

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$223

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-43.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 R$10.26

$1.28 COP 4,044

57.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 R$8.23

$2.15 COP 6,803

-24.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 R$51.3

$8.37 COP 26.5K

21.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.42

$1.35 COP 4,288

-5.93%

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

$25.3K R$128.4K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-27.15%

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

$34.1K R$173.0K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-1.61%

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

$61.5 R$312

$167 COP 528.4K

-63.08%

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

$11.31 R$57.4

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-16.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.89 R$106

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-28.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.13 R$132

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-42.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.12 R$143

$17.18 COP 54.5K

63.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 R$43.98

$6.97 COP 22.1K

24.53%

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

$318 R$1,614

$790 COP 2.5M

-59.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,577 R$33.3K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-27.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.74 R$232

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-47.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.3 R$483

$58.2 COP 184.4K

63.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 R$456

$139 COP 440.7K

-35.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 R$355

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 R$1,830

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-64.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,225

$620 COP 2.0M

-61.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R$3,431

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-64.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 R$2,363

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-53.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,704 R$8,639

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-57.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 R$6,089

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-29.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

10.94

-4.02%

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

Last update for Imbituba: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imbituba

$242 28.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 156% $378

Groceries & Markets

Imbituba

$171 20.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 74.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Imbituba

$135 15.9%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 27.5% $37

Eating Out

Imbituba

$108 12.7%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 58.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imbituba

$94 11%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 123% $116

Getting Around

Imbituba

$58 6.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 63.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Imbituba

$43 5.1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 35.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $361 in Imbituba and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Imbituba vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $298 per month, with Imbituba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

2 h behind Imbituba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,579

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 21, 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 21, 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

Imbituba Medellin 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Imbituba
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

Imbituba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imbituba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,278 in Imbituba and $2,437 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: $361 in Imbituba versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imbituba – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $852 in Imbituba versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imbituba but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Imbituba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Imbituba is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Imbituba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.