Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Macaé versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Macaé $887
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,495 in Macaé versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Macaé $1,495
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,102 in Macaé versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Macaé $2,102
Medellin $3,199

Living in Macaé costs roughly 45% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macaé is 35% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.43 R$27.54

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-34.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 R$151

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-36.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.00

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-25.22%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$8.73

$3.05 COP 9,676

-43.61%

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

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.80 COP 5,707

-22.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$1.38 COP 4,382

-54.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.16

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R$14.16

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-49.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.50 COP 4,760

-36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.91

$2.37 COP 7,508

-34.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.70 COP 5,377

-18.82%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.85

$2.96 COP 9,379

-34.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 R$46.21

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-10.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 R$16.92

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-65.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R$49.10

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-30.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.40

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-54.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.11

$1.53 COP 4,839

-21.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.85

$2.22 COP 7,052

-56.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$2.27 COP 7,194

-45.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.23

$1.99 COP 6,311

-67.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.67 COP 5,285

-51.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.73

$1.18 COP 3,742

-54.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.64

$1.24 COP 3,919

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 R$7.88

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-59.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.66 COP 5,256

-42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.40 COP 7,615

-47.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R$8.16

$1.24 COP 3,944

29.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.9 R$425

$78.2 COP 248.0K

7.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 R$7.14

$1.28 COP 4,044

10.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.03

$2.15 COP 6,803

-63.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$40.16

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-5.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.35 COP 4,288

-4.44%

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

$21.5K R$109.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-38.14%

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

$31.2K R$158.2K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-10.05%

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

$100.0 R$507

$167 COP 528.4K

-40.02%

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

$10.21 R$51.7

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-25.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 R$95.1

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-35.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 R$202

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-11.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.04 R$173

$17.18 COP 54.5K

98.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 R$34.44

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-2.58%

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

$648 R$3,283

$790 COP 2.5M

-18.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,012 R$35.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-22.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 R$320

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-28.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R$162

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-44.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 R$339

$139 COP 440.7K

-51.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.66 R$237

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-52.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,873

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-64.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,221

$620 COP 2.0M

-61.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 R$4,490

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-52.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R$3,392

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-33.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,436

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-68.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 R$4,054

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-53.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$799 R$4,049

$663 COP 2.1M

20.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

10.94

-2.47%

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

Last update for Macaé: 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

Macaé

$241 27.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 157% $379

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$169 19.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 75.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 62.4% $80

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 63.4% $66

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 0.6% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$94 10.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 83.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$53 6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 10.5% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Macaé and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $298 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

05:48 5:48 AM

2 h behind Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

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

Macaé Medellin 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
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

Macaé vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Medellin differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($887 vs $1,625 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Macaé, 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: $370 in Macaé versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $887 per month in Macaé versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.