Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barra do Garças

For one person, living is cheaper in Barra do Garças: $792 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Barra do Garças
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Barra do Garças Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Barra do Garças

🇧🇷 Brazil

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $792 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Barra do Garças $792

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,300 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Barra do Garças $1,300

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,807 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Barra do Garças $1,807

Medellin costs about 107% more than Barra do Garças, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.48 R$29.80

47.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$32.13 R$175

46.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.46 R$40.56

27.35%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$1.82 R$9.89

65.38%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$1.28 R$6.96

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.71 R$3.84

98.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.91 R$10.37

66.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.77 R$15.07

107.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$0.98 R$5.35

54.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$1.61 R$8.74

47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$1.20 R$6.53

47.50%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$2.07 R$11.25

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.73 R$47.48

16.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.07 R$22.13

142.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.05 R$43.79

73.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.13 R$11.57

86.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$1.22 R$6.65

27.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.11 R$6.04

96.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.47 R$7.97

48.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$1.18 R$6.39

66.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$1.03 R$5.59

54.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.73 R$3.96

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.82 R$4.44

51.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.09 R$11.36

89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.29 R$39.64

87.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.17 R$6.37

41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$2.01 R$10.90

12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$0.93 R$5.03

25.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$40.82 R$222

89.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$1.39 R$7.56

-8.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$0.92 R$5.03

122.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.74 R$36.66

26.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.21 R$6.58

11.57%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$24.8K R$134.7K

37.53%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$28.2K R$153.1K

23.15%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$69.2 R$376

145.19%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$10.88 R$59.1

24.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$17.00 R$92.4

65.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$20.98 R$114

108.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$23.28 R$127

-26.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.41 R$34.84

7.80%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$222 R$1,207

258.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,619 R$36.0K

37.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$55.5 R$302

52.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$51.8 R$281

11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$81.7 R$444

65.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$65.6 R$356

49.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$316 R$1,717

282.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$203 R$1,104

216.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$603 R$3,277

236.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$453 R$2,465

123.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,496 R$8,131

178.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,101 R$5,986

73.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 25, 2026

Last update for Barra do Garças: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Barra do Garças

$203 25.6% 68.4% $439

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Barra do Garças

$182 23% 38.6% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Barra do Garças

$97 12.3% 54.1% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Barra do Garças

$111 14% 34.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Barra do Garças

$115 14.5% 32.2% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Barra do Garças

$51 6.4% 46% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Barra do Garças

$34 4.3% 41.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $316 in Barra do Garças. 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 $32 in Barra do Garças. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $182 – making Barra do Garças the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Barra do Garças

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

21:27 9:27 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

69,210

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Barra do Garças 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $792 in Barra do Garças – Barra do Garças comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,188 in Barra do Garças. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barra do Garças, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $316 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Barra do Garças. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $222 in Barra do Garças. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Barra do Garças, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Barra do Garças it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Barra do Garças is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.