Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alfenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Alfenas: $784 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Alfenas
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Alfenas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Alfenas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alfenas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Alfenas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $784 in Alfenas, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Alfenas $784

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,380 in Alfenas, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Alfenas $1,380

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,976 in Alfenas, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Alfenas $1,976

Medellin costs about 109% more than Alfenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Alfenas is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.03 R$21.56

100.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$29.45 R$157

59.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.09 R$32.55

55.99%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.01 R$5.39

198.02%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.61 R$3.27

195.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.63 R$3.36

123.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.34 R$12.50

35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.92 R$15.59

96.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.25 R$6.66

20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.88 R$10.05

26.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.43 R$7.64

23.78%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.76 R$14.74

4.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.22 R$65.3

-16.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.27 R$28.19

87.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.75 R$57.5

30.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.71 R$14.48

46.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.85 R$9.88

-16.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.61 R$8.61

35.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.03 R$10.83

7.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.40 R$7.46

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.26 R$6.72

26.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.31 R$6.98

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.99 R$5.29

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.97 R$10.53

101.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$9.67 R$51.7

41.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.83 R$9.77

-9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.56 R$13.68

-11.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.04 R$5.55

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$44.06 R$236

75.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.81 R$9.70

-29.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.03 R$5.50

99.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.00 R$53.5

-14.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.27 R$6.80

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$23.1K R$123.7K

47.25%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.7K R$159.0K

16.61%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$59.3 R$317

185.94%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$16.85 R$90.1

-19.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.18 R$108

39.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$26.08 R$139

67.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$27.64 R$148

-37.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.81 R$36.42

1.47%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$576 R$3,079

38.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$16.4K R$87.6K

-44.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$65.1 R$348

30.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$61.6 R$329

-5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$97.8 R$523

38.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$91.0 R$487

7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$360 R$1,923

235.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$124 R$664

416.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$658 R$3,516

208.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$461 R$2,464

119.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,658 R$8,862

151.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,156 R$6,181

65.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$500 R$2,675

31.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.68

-6.34%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alfenas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Alfenas

$124 15.8% 80.7% $517

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Alfenas

$242 30.8% 18.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Alfenas

$96 12.3% 54.4% $115

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Alfenas

$85 10.9% 49.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Alfenas

$142 18.1% 16% $27

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Alfenas

$55 7% 41% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Alfenas

$40 5.1% 31% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $360 in Alfenas. 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 31% 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 $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Alfenas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $242 – making Alfenas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Alfenas

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

78,970

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Alfenas 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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

Medellin vs Alfenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $784 in Alfenas – roughly 109% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,176 in Alfenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alfenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $360 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Alfenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Alfenas, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Alfenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alfenas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Alfenas. 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.