Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Brades

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $923 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Brades

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $923 in Brades.

Medellin $1,639
Brades $923

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,139 in Brades.

Medellin $2,413
Brades $2,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,355 in Brades.

Medellin $3,186
Brades $3,355

Living in Medellin is roughly 78% more expensive than in Brades, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Brades is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$18.72 EC$50.5

-56.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.7K

$47.37 EC$128

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.0K

$12.14 EC$32.78

-21.75%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,532

$7.14 EC$19.27

-57.84%

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

$1.80 COP 5,688

$2.80 EC$7.55

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,465

$1.58 EC$4.26

-10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.93 EC$7.90

8.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.53 EC$12.22

26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,774

$3.47 EC$9.37

-56.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,517

$2.95 EC$7.96

-19.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,601

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,138

$7.07 EC$19.08

-59.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$5.76 EC$15.54

76.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$9.11 EC$24.59

8.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.2K

$22.89 EC$61.8

-38.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.34 EC$9.03

18.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,907

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,901

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,904

$4.38 EC$11.82

-50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,205

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,025

$2.25 EC$6.07

-29.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,622

$5.21 EC$14.06

-77.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,930

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$22.17 EC$59.9

-38.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,247

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,139

$4.51 EC$12.19

-49.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,692

$1.89 EC$5.11

-38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,009

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,474

$4.70 EC$12.68

-56.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.0K

$1.90 EC$5.12

350.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

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

$34.1K COP 107.7M

$22.2K EC$60.0K

53.32%

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

$34.7K COP 109.6M

$15.0K EC$40.4K

131.57%

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

$170 COP 536.4K

$92.8 EC$250

82.89%

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

$13.55 COP 42.8K

$40.24 EC$109

-66.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.7K

$48.18 EC$130

-41.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.2K

$56.4 EC$152

-22.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

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

$797 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 267.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,296 EC$3,499

56.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,280 EC$3,455

-20.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,320 EC$3,563

-50.21%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brades: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Brades

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Brades

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Brades

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Brades

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Brades

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Brades

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Brades

–

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $47 in Brades for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $341 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇸 Brades

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

400

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Brades 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Brades

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 Brades: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $923 in Brades – Brades is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Brades is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.