Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Armacao dos Buzios

For one person, living is cheaper in Armacao dos Buzios: $865 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Armacao dos Buzios, Brazil
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Armacao dos Buzios
🇧🇷 Brazil
$865
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Armacao dos Buzios

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 Armacao dos Buzios actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $865 in Armacao dos Buzios, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Armacao dos Buzios $865

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,324 in Armacao dos Buzios, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Armacao dos Buzios $1,324

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,783 in Armacao dos Buzios, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Armacao dos Buzios $1,783

Medellin costs about 96% more than Armacao dos Buzios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Armacao dos Buzios is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$5.72 R$31.41
45.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$18.86 R$104
146.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$5.61 R$30.79
68.81%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$1.53 R$8.42
104.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,728
$0.96 R$5.27
84.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,620
$0.96 R$5.28
47.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$1.09 R$5.98
188.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$2.22 R$12.18
156.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,971
$0.90 R$4.96
70.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,431
$1.91 R$10.46
19.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,308
$1.01 R$5.54
92.08%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,945
$1.47 R$8.09
108.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$10.24 R$56.2
-2.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$4.24 R$23.28
146.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$9.37 R$51.4
48.99%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.73 R$15.01
48.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,957
$1.62 R$8.91
-5.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,825
$1.53 R$8.41
37.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,439
$1.74 R$9.56
31.61%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,841
$0.76 R$4.16
177.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,543
$1.02 R$5.60
67.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,795
$0.66 R$3.62
77.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,125
$0.65 R$3.56
143.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$2.83 R$15.56
38.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.6K
$7.40 R$40.60
89.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,714
$1.09 R$5.99
61.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,796
$2.24 R$12.32
20.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,826
$1.00 R$5.52
18.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
$42.50 R$233
79.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,860
$1.18 R$6.45
53.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,906
$0.85 R$4.67
150.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$8.80 R$48.30
-7.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,136
$1.08 R$5.93
18.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$21.6K R$118.4K
59.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$31.5K R$172.7K
8.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.4K
$123 R$674
44.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$10.02 R$55.0
38.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$21.61 R$119
42.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$24.42 R$134
71.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
$25.92 R$142
-35.19%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$7.23 R$39.68
3.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$562 R$3,084
40.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$12.1K R$66.6K
1.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 280.0K
$38.38 R$211
124.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$45.02 R$247
31.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.7K
$69.3 R$380
99.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.5K
$62.3 R$342
58.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$331 R$1,816
305.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$229 R$1,256
191.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$637 R$3,497
210.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$449 R$2,463
130.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
$1,573 R$8,634
160.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,157 R$6,350
67.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Armacao dos Buzios
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
11.93
-8.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Armacao dos Buzios: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Armacao dos Buzios
$229 65.7% $438
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Armacao dos Buzios
$196 36.3% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Armacao dos Buzios
$154 30.6% $68
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Armacao dos Buzios
$99 42.9% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Armacao dos Buzios
$97 43.8% $76
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Armacao dos Buzios
$52 44.4% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Armacao dos Buzios
$39 31.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $331 in Armacao dos Buzios. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $19 in Armacao dos Buzios. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $196 – making Armacao dos Buzios the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇷 Armacao dos Buzios
🕒 Local time
22:23 10:23 PM
00:23 12:23 AM
2 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
40,006
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Armacao dos Buzios 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Armacao dos Buzios

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 Armacao dos Buzios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Armacao dos Buzios compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $865 in Armacao dos Buzios – Armacao dos Buzios comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Armacao dos Buzios?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,298 in Armacao dos Buzios. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and Armacao dos Buzios?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Armacao dos Buzios, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $331 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 57% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Armacao dos Buzios. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Armacao dos Buzios, where all-in costs run around $865, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Armacao dos Buzios it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Medellin or Armacao dos Buzios?
Families tend to lean toward Armacao dos Buzios – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Where should expats move: Medellin or Armacao dos Buzios?
For expats, Armacao dos Buzios is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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