Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $916 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Brasilia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $916 in Brasilia.

Medellin $1,639
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Medellin $2,413
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Medellin $3,186
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Medellin is roughly 79% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Brasilia is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$8.44 R$45.11

-4.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$36.71 R$196

28.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.98 R$42.68

19.05%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.53 R$13.50

18.97%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.42 R$7.59

26.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.00 R$5.36

41.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.20 R$11.76

44.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.76 R$20.08

52.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.02 R$5.45

48.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.95 R$10.45

22.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.24 R$6.63

42.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.27 R$12.16

27.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.17 R$59.7

-8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.86 R$20.66

155.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$8.58 R$45.86

63.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.31 R$12.33

71.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.38 R$7.37

12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.26 R$6.72

73.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.52 R$8.13

43.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.11 R$5.94

76.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.98 R$5.22

62.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.76 R$4.04

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.93 R$4.99

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.36 R$12.64

67.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.67 R$41.00

78.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.24 R$6.63

33.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.36 R$12.59

-4.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.73 R$3.90

60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$29.76 R$159

159.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.01 R$5.42

25.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.86 R$4.59

138.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.77 R$30.86

48.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.25 R$6.67

8.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.0K R$117.4K

55.19%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$31.9K R$170.3K

8.85%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$92.1 R$493

84.16%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$11.85 R$63.3

14.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.93 R$112

34.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$30.47 R$163

43.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$26.29 R$141

-34.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.46 R$39.91

-7.37%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$764 R$4,087

4.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$15.7K R$84.1K

-42.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$52.6 R$281

60.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$42.10 R$225

37.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$79.4 R$425

69.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$83.6 R$447

17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$517 R$2,765

133.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$242 R$1,291

165.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,156 R$6,183

75.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$580 R$3,099

74.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,398 R$12.8K

73.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,678 R$8,972

13.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$784 R$4,194

-16.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.12

-9.74%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 62.4% $400

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 32.5% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 40.9% $86

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 11.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 31.4% $53

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 59.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Brasilia

$45 5% 21.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 19% 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 $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $201 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Brasilia 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Brasilia differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,639 vs $916 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $37 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 $916 in Brasilia – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $916 in Brasilia versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.