Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bauru

For one person, living is cheaper in Bauru: $777 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Bauru
Learn more

Bauru Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bauru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bauru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $777 in Bauru.

Medellin $1,639
Bauru $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,191 in Bauru.

Medellin $2,413
Bauru $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,606 in Bauru.

Medellin $3,186
Bauru $1,606

Living in Medellin is roughly 111% more expensive than in Bauru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bauru is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.78 R$26.01

69.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$24.95 R$136

88.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.12 R$38.71

33.43%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.55 R$8.45

94.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.85 R$4.65

111.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.50 R$2.71

182.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.46 R$7.94

117.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.47 R$13.42

132.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$0.87 R$4.75

73.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.36 R$7.41

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.18 R$6.42

50.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.30 R$12.49

25.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.27 R$39.51

40.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.13 R$22.43

138.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.98 R$32.50

133.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.92 R$10.46

106.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.30 R$7.08

19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.19 R$6.45

83.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.71 R$9.31

27.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.33 R$7.25

47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.17 R$6.37

35.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.31 R$7.14

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.90 R$4.92

37.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.21 R$12.04

79.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.66 R$36.23

105.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.13 R$6.16

46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.15 R$11.71

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.95 R$5.16

23.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$27.87 R$152

177.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.78 R$9.69

-28.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.19 R$6.49

72.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.66 R$19.88

133.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.06 R$5.75

27.36%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.5K R$122.4K

51.35%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.6K R$177.0K

6.51%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$130 R$706

30.65%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.51 R$51.7

42.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.40 R$100

52.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$17.47 R$95.0

150.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$21.60 R$117

-20.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.01 R$27.23

37.92%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$241 R$1,310

230.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,563 R$30.2K

63.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$64.0 R$348

32.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$46.43 R$252

24.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$103 R$560

30.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$73.3 R$399

33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$227 R$1,232

432.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$154 R$839

315.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$430 R$2,336

371.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$285 R$1,549

255.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,517 R$8,250

174.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$669 R$3,637

185.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$355 R$1,929

85.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.59

14.08%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bauru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bauru

$154 19.9% 75.9% $487

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bauru

$173 22.3% 41.7% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bauru

$158 20.3% 25.3% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bauru

$96 12.3% 43.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bauru

$129 16.6% 23.6% $40

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bauru

$39 5.1% 57.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bauru

$27 3.5% 52.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $227 in Bauru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 85% 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 in Medellin vs $25 in Bauru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $173 per month, with Bauru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Bauru

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

379,146

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bauru 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bauru

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 Bauru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bauru wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bauru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $227 in Bauru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bauru – a meal for two runs $25 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $777 in Bauru – Bauru is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Bauru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.