Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Brainerd, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,441 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
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Brainerd, MN Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Brainerd, MN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,441 in Brainerd, MN.

Medellin $1,639
Brainerd, MN $2,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,450 in Brainerd, MN.

Medellin $2,413
Brainerd, MN $3,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,460 in Brainerd, MN.

Medellin $3,186
Brainerd, MN $4,460

Living in Medellin costs roughly 33% less than in Brainerd, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Brainerd, MN 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.37 $14.37

-43.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$38.35 $38.35

22.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.04 $10.04

-5.38%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.94 $1.94

55.15%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.09 $2.09

-13.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.89 $1.89

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.88 $5.88

-45.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.88 $5.88

-2.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$0.91 $0.91

65.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$3.25 $3.25

-26.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$3.41 $3.41

-48.09%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.43 $2.43

18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.38 $9.38

8.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.37 $9.37

5.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$13.23 $13.23

5.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.96 $4.96

-19.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.16 $1.16

33.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$6.02 $6.02

-63.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$4.86 $4.86

-55.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$3.82 $3.82

-48.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$3.52 $3.52

-54.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$2.05 $2.05

-43.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.69 $1.69

-26.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$11.90 $11.90

-66.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$12.77 $12.77

7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.76 $1.76

-5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.45 $3.45

-34.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.95 $1.95

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$59.7 $59.7

29.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.54 $2.54

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.53 $1.53

33.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$30.96 $30.96

-72.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.86 $0.86

56.98%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$27.6K $27.6K

23.30%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$25.6K $25.6K

35.27%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$233 $233

-27.05%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$45.13 $45.13

-69.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$59.8 $59.8

-53.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$42.00 $42.00

4.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.19 $9.19

-24.81%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,221 $1,221

-34.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$28.2K $28.2K

-67.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$40.67 $40.67

108.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$40.75 $40.75

42.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$60.1 $60.1

124.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$64.5 $64.5

51.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,604 $1,604

-24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,299 $1,299

-50.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,475 $2,475

-18.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,152 $2,152

-52.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,434 $2,434

71.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,377 $2,377

-19.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.31

73.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brainerd, MN: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 53.2% 103% $658

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Brainerd, MN

$348 14.3% 17.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Brainerd, MN

$337 13.8% 59.7% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Brainerd, MN

$225 9.2% 32.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.8% 45.2% $76

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Brainerd, MN

$78 3.2% 17% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Brainerd, MN

$60 2.5% 5% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,604 in Brainerd, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $38 in Brainerd, MN. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $348, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,722

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Brainerd, MN 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Brainerd, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $3,661 in Brainerd, MN to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,604 in Brainerd, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brainerd, MN – a meal for two runs $38 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,441 in Brainerd, MN – Medellin is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.