Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Boa Vista: $758 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Boa Vista
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Boa Vista Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Boa Vista

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $758 in Boa Vista, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Boa Vista $758

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,132 in Boa Vista, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Boa Vista $1,132

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,506 in Boa Vista, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Boa Vista $1,506

Medellin costs about 123% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Boa Vista is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$7.13 R$39.15

16.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$21.99 R$121

111.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.92 R$43.48

19.57%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.49 R$13.69

25.70%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$0.82 R$4.52

115.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.45 R$2.46

215.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.35 R$7.43

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.05 R$11.27

178.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$2.26 R$12.38

-32.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.72 R$9.46

33.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.32 R$7.22

46.97%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.72 R$14.95

12.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$9.19 R$50.4

8.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$5.17 R$28.36

102.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$9.13 R$50.1

52.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.17 R$11.89

86.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.21 R$6.63

26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.64 R$9.00

28.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.79 R$9.82

27.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$0.94 R$5.14

124.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$0.96 R$5.24

78.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.72 R$3.94

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.72 R$3.97

119.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.61 R$14.33

49.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$11.14 R$61.1

26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.90 R$10.45

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.32 R$7.25

105.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.96 R$5.26

22.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.23 R$6.75

4.07%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$26.1K R$143.4K

30.61%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$17.20 R$94.4

-19.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$29.22 R$160

5.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$30.81 R$169

36.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$5.96 R$32.73

25.34%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$171 R$940

361.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$22.45 R$123

284.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$22.46 R$123

163.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$64.5 R$354

114.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$30.95 R$170

219.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$333 R$1,829

302.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$254 R$1,397

162.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$465 R$2,554

324.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$337 R$1,850

206.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$737 R$4,046

455.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$739 R$4,058

162.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$491 R$2,694

31.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Boa Vista: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Boa Vista

$254 33.6% 61.9% $413

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Boa Vista

$221 29.1% 28.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Boa Vista

$46 * 6.1% 79.1% $176

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Boa Vista

$127 16.7% 26.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Boa Vista

$63 8.3% 63.3% $109

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Boa Vista

$3.8 * 0.5% 95.9% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Boa Vista

$43 5.6% 24.9% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $333 in Boa Vista. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $22 in Boa Vista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $221 – making Boa Vista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

413,486

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Boa Vista 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Boa Vista

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 Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 123% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,138 in Boa Vista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Boa Vista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $758 in Boa Vista. That makes Boa Vista about 55% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $171 in Boa Vista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

If budget matters most, go with Boa Vista. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.