Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Atibaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Atibaia: $812 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Atibaia
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Atibaia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Atibaia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Atibaia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $812 in Atibaia.

Medellin $1,625
Atibaia $812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,451 in Atibaia.

Medellin $2,412
Atibaia $1,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,090 in Atibaia.

Medellin $3,199
Atibaia $2,090

Living in Medellin is roughly 100% more expensive than in Atibaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Atibaia is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$8.02 R$40.64

3.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$31.96 R$162

46.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.04 R$35.67

31.25%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.32 R$11.77

31.47%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.40 R$7.11

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.95 R$4.82

45.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.95 R$9.91

66.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.01 R$15.28

84.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.09 R$5.51

37.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.84 R$9.35

28.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.33 R$6.76

27.82%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.49 R$12.63

18.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.82 R$54.9

-5.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.85 R$24.60

100.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.73 R$49.33

42.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.15 R$10.90

92.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.22 R$6.21

25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.22 R$6.17

81.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.63 R$8.29

39.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.20 R$6.10

65.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.33 R$6.73

25.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.97 R$4.94

21.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.76 R$3.83

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.34 R$11.88

65.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.63 R$38.66

80.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.38 R$6.99

20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.88 R$9.56

27.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.97 R$4.93

27.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.57 R$7.94

-18.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.61 R$8.19

33.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$17.61 R$89.3

-52.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.25 R$6.33

8.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$20.3K R$103.1K

70.92%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$31.3K R$158.7K

10.78%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$77.8 R$395

114.15%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$12.25 R$62.1

11.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$21.94 R$111

32.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$24.22 R$123

86.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$19.88 R$101

-13.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$8.60 R$43.61

-18.95%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$275 R$1,395

187.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$10.0K R$50.8K

-9.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$53.8 R$273

63.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$37.65 R$191

54.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$75.0 R$380

85.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$60.1 R$305

64.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$301 R$1,527

241.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$198 R$1,006

212.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,008 R$5,112

86.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$693 R$3,511

45.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,987 R$10.1K

100.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,687 R$8,550

0.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$503 R$2,552

31.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.79

-14.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Atibaia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Atibaia

$198 24.4% 68% $421

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Atibaia

$207 25.5% 30.6% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Atibaia

$112 13.8% 46.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Atibaia

$102 12.6% 41% $71

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Atibaia

$138 17% 19% $33

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Atibaia

$14 * 1.7% 85.8% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Atibaia

$41 5.1% 29.8% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $301 in Atibaia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 32% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $32.00 in Atibaia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $207 per month, with Atibaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Atibaia

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

158,647

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Atibaia 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Atibaia

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 Atibaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Atibaia differ by about 100% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $812 including rent). Atibaia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $301 in Atibaia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $275 in Atibaia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Atibaia – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $812 in Atibaia versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Atibaia but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Atibaia 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 Atibaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.