Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
Learn more

Belem Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Belem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $877 in Belem.

Medellin $1,639
Belem $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,329 in Belem.

Medellin $2,413
Belem $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,781 in Belem.

Medellin $3,186
Belem $1,781

Living in Medellin is roughly 87% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Belem is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.66 R$25.08

73.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$18.25 R$98.2

157.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.54 R$35.22

45.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.72 R$9.28

75.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.99 R$5.34

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.44 R$2.35

220.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.50 R$8.10

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.17 R$11.70

164.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.29 R$6.92

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.33 R$12.54

2.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.25 R$6.70

41.60%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.98 R$10.67

45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.44 R$45.44

20.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.12 R$22.16

139.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.25 R$39.00

92.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.24 R$12.05

77.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.32 R$7.12

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.39 R$7.48

56.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.56 R$8.37

39.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.97 R$5.21

102.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.54 R$2.89

194.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.26 R$6.80

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.37 R$7.36

-9.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.45 R$13.19

61.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.32 R$50.2

46.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.33 R$7.18

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$4.52 R$24.35

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.90 R$4.85

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$31.93 R$172

142.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.10 R$5.93

15.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.10 R$5.90

86.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.92 R$42.64

7.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.15 R$6.21

17.39%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.8K R$117.5K

56.08%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$30.0K R$161.6K

15.48%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$93.5 R$503

81.42%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$10.82 R$58.3

25.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$29.78 R$160

-5.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$20.33 R$109

114.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$36.96 R$199

-53.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.46 R$40.15

-7.37%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$104 R$561

664.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,250 R$17.5K

180.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$30.81 R$166

174.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$41.86 R$225

38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$75.6 R$407

78.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$61.4 R$330

59.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$503 R$2,709

139.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$267 R$1,436

140.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$837 R$4,506

142.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$485 R$2,611

108.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,865 R$10.0K

123.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,302 R$7,005

46.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$386 R$2,079

70.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.48

-4.70%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Belem

$267 30.4% 58.4% $375

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Belem

$209 23.8% 29.6% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Belem

$134 15.3% 36.5% $77

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Belem

$95 10.9% 43.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Belem

$94 10.8% 44.2% $75

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Belem

$42 4.8% 55% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Belem

$35 4% 38.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $503 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 70% 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 $18 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $209 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Belem 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Belem

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 Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 70% 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 $503 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 59% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $104 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $877 in Belem versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Belem 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 Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.