Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Belo Horizonte

For one person, living is cheaper in Belo Horizonte: $956 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Belo Horizonte
Learn more

Belo Horizonte Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Belo Horizonte

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $956 in Belo Horizonte.

Medellin $1,639
Belo Horizonte $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,517 in Belo Horizonte.

Medellin $2,413
Belo Horizonte $1,517

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,078 in Belo Horizonte.

Medellin $3,186
Belo Horizonte $2,078

Living in Medellin is roughly 71% more expensive than in Belo Horizonte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Belo Horizonte is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.64 R$30.33

43.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$34.96 R$188

34.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.26 R$44.44

15.01%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.17 R$11.65

38.71%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.28 R$6.87

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.76 R$4.10

85.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.09 R$11.25

52.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.37 R$18.16

70.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.93 R$5.01

62.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.67 R$8.99

42.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.87 R$10.05

-5.35%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.08 R$11.17

38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.11 R$49.03

11.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.02 R$21.62

145.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.05 R$37.96

98.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.88 R$10.14

111.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.19 R$6.42

30.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.16 R$6.24

87.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.49 R$8.02

46.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.07 R$5.75

83.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.96 R$5.18

65.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.78 R$4.20

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.87 R$4.68

42.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.31 R$12.43

71.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.50 R$40.38

82.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.29 R$6.96

28.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.55 R$13.70

-11.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.13 R$6.08

3.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$65.4 R$352

18.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.97 R$5.20

30.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.67 R$3.63

205.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.03 R$32.45

41.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.19 R$6.38

13.45%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.1K R$118.8K

54.30%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$31.8K R$170.9K

9.17%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$73.2 R$394

131.83%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$9.69 R$52.1

39.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$19.79 R$106

41.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$26.76 R$144

63.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$41.79 R$225

-58.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.60 R$40.87

-9.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$435 R$2,340

83.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.8K R$74.3K

-34.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$56.3 R$303

50.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$45.66 R$246

26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$91.7 R$494

47.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$67.8 R$365

44.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$564 R$3,034

114.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$314 R$1,692

103.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$834 R$4,491

142.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$597 R$3,212

69.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,252 R$12.1K

85.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,173 R$6,315

62.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$580 R$3,119

13.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.25

-2.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Belo Horizonte

$314 32.9% 51% $327

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Belo Horizonte

$184 19.3% 37.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Belo Horizonte

$103 10.7% 51.4% $109

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Belo Horizonte

$121 12.7% 28.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Belo Horizonte

$118 12.3% 30.4% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Belo Horizonte

$74 7.8% 20.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Belo Horizonte

$42 4.4% 27.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $564 in Belo Horizonte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 13% 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 $35 in Belo Horizonte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $184 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,315,560

💱 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 Belo Horizonte 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Belo Horizonte

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 Belo Horizonte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $956 in Belo Horizonte, so Belo Horizonte is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $564 in Belo Horizonte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $435 in Belo Horizonte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $956 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte 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 Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.