Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joao Pessoa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $983 a month against $1,639 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 Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$983

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $983 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Joao Pessoa $983
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,512 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Joao Pessoa $1,512
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,041 in Joao Pessoa versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Joao Pessoa $2,041
Medellin $3,186

Living in Joao Pessoa costs roughly 40% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Joao Pessoa is 28% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.57 R$35.70

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-18.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.75 R$151

$47.05 COP 151.8K

-41.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 R$40.50

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-21.58%

Cappuccino

$1.48 R$8.05

$3.01 COP 9,729

-50.83%

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

$0.94 R$5.11

$1.80 COP 5,806

-47.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.60

$1.41 COP 4,558

-53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 R$9.35

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-45.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 R$18.55

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-40.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$6.14

$1.51 COP 4,873

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 R$10.43

$2.38 COP 7,673

-19.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.59

$1.77 COP 5,716

-20.90%

Eggs

$1.90 R$10.34

$2.89 COP 9,327

-34.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 R$43.16

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-22.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$24.62

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-54.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.93 R$37.70

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-50.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 R$16.80

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-22.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 R$4.78

$1.55 COP 5,009

-43.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.51

$2.18 COP 7,044

-61.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.70

$2.18 COP 7,047

-51.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.16

$1.96 COP 6,333

-23.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.36

$1.59 COP 5,129

-26.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.58

$1.15 COP 3,696

-42.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.33

$1.24 COP 4,012

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 R$14.89

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-30.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 R$45.73

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$8.06

$1.66 COP 5,356

-10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 R$15.94

$2.26 COP 7,286

29.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.22

$1.17 COP 3,769

-17.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 R$361

$77.4 COP 249.7K

-14.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 R$10.20

$1.27 COP 4,092

48.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 R$10.22

$2.05 COP 6,608

-8.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 R$15.94

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-65.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.71

$1.35 COP 4,346

-8.89%

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

$22.4K R$121.9K

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-34.17%

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

$31.2K R$169.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-10.06%

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

$122 R$662

$170 COP 547.5K

-28.26%

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

$21.79 R$118

$13.55 COP 43.7K

60.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 R$121

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-20.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.31 R$192

$43.70 COP 141.0K

-19.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.39 R$149

$17.19 COP 55.5K

59.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 R$53.9

$6.91 COP 22.3K

43.56%

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

$406 R$2,209

$797 COP 2.6M

-49.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,280 R$34.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-31.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.92 R$271

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-41.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 R$345

$58.0 COP 187.0K

9.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 R$458

$135 COP 435.5K

-37.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.4 R$393

$97.9 COP 315.8K

-26.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 R$2,075

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-68.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 R$1,389

$642 COP 2.1M

-60.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 R$3,298

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-70.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 R$2,631

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-52.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,266 R$12.3K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-45.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,113 R$6,049

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-41.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$482 R$2,621

$657 COP 2.1M

-26.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joao Pessoa

$256 26%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 151% $386

Groceries & Markets

Joao Pessoa

$189 19.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 56.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joao Pessoa

$166 16.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 27.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Joao Pessoa

$122 12.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 39.1% $47

Eating Out

Joao Pessoa

$114 11.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.1% $55

Getting Around

Joao Pessoa

$82 8.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 14.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Joao Pessoa

$55 5.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 4.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Joao Pessoa and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 36% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28 in Joao Pessoa vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $297 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

2 h behind Joao Pessoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

833,932

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Joao Pessoa Medellin 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Joao Pessoa
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

Joao Pessoa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $983 in Joao Pessoa and $1,639 in Medellin, so Joao Pessoa is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Joao Pessoa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $382 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $406 in Joao Pessoa versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $983 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.