Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Botucatu

For one person, living is cheaper in Botucatu: $673 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Botucatu
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Botucatu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Botucatu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Botucatu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $673 in Botucatu.

Medellin $1,625
Botucatu $673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,076 in Botucatu.

Medellin $2,412
Botucatu $1,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,480 in Botucatu.

Medellin $3,199
Botucatu $1,480

Living in Medellin is roughly 141% more expensive than in Botucatu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Botucatu is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$6.00 R$30.40

38.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$31.93 R$162

46.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.02 R$35.61

31.62%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.77 R$14.04

10.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.37 R$6.96

31.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.97 R$4.90

42.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.52 R$12.76

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.04 R$15.39

82.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.92 R$4.67

63.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.26 R$6.41

88.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.96 R$4.89

77.08%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.91 R$9.70

54.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.28 R$41.99

23.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.93 R$19.92

147.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.67 R$38.87

81.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.15 R$10.88

92.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.24 R$6.28

23.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.03 R$5.24

115.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.18 R$6.00

92.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.33 R$6.74

49.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.94 R$4.78

77.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.00 R$5.05

18.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.86 R$4.36

44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.44 R$12.39

58.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.67 R$33.81

106.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.19 R$6.04

39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.97 R$9.99

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.92 R$4.64

34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.57 R$7.96

-18.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.56 R$7.91

37.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$18.07 R$91.6

-53.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.17 R$5.94

15.38%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$23.2K R$117.5K

49.98%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$32.7K R$165.5K

6.22%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$25.49 R$129

553.79%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$10.04 R$50.9

35.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$15.59 R$79.0

86.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$8.68 R$44.00

-19.70%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$282 R$1,430

180.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,076 R$30.8K

48.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$51.7 R$262

69.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$37.82 R$192

53.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$96.4 R$488

44.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$59.4 R$301

66.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$276 R$1,398

272.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$178 R$904

247.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$598 R$3,033

214.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$299 R$1,516

236.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$421 R$2,133

57.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.5

15.16%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Botucatu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Botucatu

$178 26.5% 71.2% $441

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Botucatu

$173 25.6% 42.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Botucatu

$51 7.6% 75.6% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Botucatu

$110 16.4% 36.1% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Botucatu

$130 19.4% 23.7% $41

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Botucatu

$13 * 1.9% 86.3% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Botucatu

$17 * 2.6% 70.6% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $276 in Botucatu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 58% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $32.00 in Botucatu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $173 per month, with Botucatu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Botucatu

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

145,155

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Botucatu 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Botucatu

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 Botucatu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Botucatu wins on cost – living expenses run 141% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Botucatu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $276 in Botucatu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $282 in Botucatu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Botucatu – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $673 in Botucatu versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Botucatu but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Botucatu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Botucatu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $673 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Botucatu hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Botucatu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.