Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aracatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracatuba: $876 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Aracatuba
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Aracatuba Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Aracatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aracatuba

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 Aracatuba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $876 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Aracatuba $876

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,399 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Aracatuba $1,399

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,922 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Aracatuba $1,922

Medellin costs about 85% more than Aracatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Aracatuba is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$6.10 R$30.92

36.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$32.65 R$165

43.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.61 R$38.59

21.42%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.06 R$10.42

48.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.27 R$6.46

41.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.77 R$3.91

79.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.02 R$10.22

60.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.05 R$15.45

82.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.05 R$5.33

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.73 R$8.78

36.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.30 R$6.60

30.77%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.24 R$11.34

32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.25 R$46.89

10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.27 R$21.65

128.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$8.60 R$43.59

61.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.21 R$11.19

86.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.27 R$6.43

20.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.22 R$6.17

81.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.59 R$8.08

42.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.22 R$6.17

63.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.11 R$5.63

50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.84 R$4.25

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.79 R$3.99

56.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.53 R$12.80

52.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.89 R$39.97

74.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.27 R$6.45

30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.13 R$10.80

12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.04 R$5.25

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$43.23 R$219

80.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.27 R$6.43

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.91 R$4.63

136.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.86 R$39.85

6.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.32 R$6.70

2.27%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$24.2K R$122.9K

43.38%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$32.7K R$165.9K

5.98%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$75.1 R$381

121.87%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$12.43 R$63.0

9.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$20.99 R$106

38.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$25.96 R$132

73.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$27.51 R$139

-37.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$7.16 R$36.28

-2.65%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$279 R$1,417

182.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$7,322 R$37.1K

23.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$56.4 R$286

55.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$50.5 R$256

15.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$91.4 R$463

52.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$72.9 R$369

35.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$360 R$1,826

185.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$238 R$1,206

160.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$681 R$3,452

176.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$468 R$2,371

115.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,706 R$8,646

133.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,190 R$6,033

43.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$386 R$1,956

71.94%

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 Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aracatuba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Aracatuba

$238 27.2% 61.6% $382

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Aracatuba

$193 22.1% 35.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Aracatuba

$109 12.4% 48.2% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Aracatuba

$122 13.9% 29.3% $51

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Aracatuba

$121 13.8% 29.4% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Aracatuba

$53 6.1% 44.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Aracatuba

$40 4.6% 31.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $360 in Aracatuba. 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 72% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $33.00 in Aracatuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $193 – making Aracatuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Aracatuba

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

200,124

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Aracatuba 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aracatuba

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 Aracatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $876 in Aracatuba – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,314 in Aracatuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aracatuba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $279 in Aracatuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aracatuba, where all-in costs run around $876, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Aracatuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $876 in Aracatuba to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Aracatuba. 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.