Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cabo Frio

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $625 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
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Cabo Frio Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cabo Frio

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $625 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cabo Frio $625

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,031 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cabo Frio $1,031

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,438 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cabo Frio $1,438

Medellin costs about 171% more than Cabo Frio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cabo Frio is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$5.58 R$30.63

49.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$27.85 R$153

67.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.46 R$35.46

46.59%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.62 R$8.90

93.21%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.26 R$6.91

40.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.50 R$2.75

184.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.13 R$6.20

178.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.79 R$9.84

218.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$0.77 R$4.22

98.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.41 R$7.72

62.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$0.76 R$4.19

155.26%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$1.43 R$7.85

114.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$7.20 R$39.49

38.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.18 R$17.47

228.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$9.19 R$50.4

51.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.77 R$9.71

128.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.10 R$6.06

39.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$0.90 R$4.95

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.18 R$6.50

94.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$0.64 R$3.51

229.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$0.75 R$4.14

128.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.53 R$2.92

120.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.54 R$2.94

192.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.50 R$8.21

160.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$5.50 R$30.20

155.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$0.88 R$4.81

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.32 R$7.24

105.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$1.25 R$6.87

-5.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$74.7 R$410

2.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.22 R$6.68

48.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.73 R$4.00

191.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.24 R$39.72

12.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.08 R$5.91

18.52%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$19.7K R$108.2K

74.68%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$28.6K R$156.8K

19.45%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$54.1 R$297

228.64%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$7.04 R$38.66

97.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$12.74 R$69.9

141.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$20.35 R$112

106.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$4.39 R$24.10

70.16%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$135 R$740

486.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$2,436 R$13.4K

404.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$42.09 R$231

105.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$37.34 R$205

58.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$51.9 R$285

166.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$44.49 R$244

122.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$418 R$2,295

220.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$108 R$594

516.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$611 R$3,355

223.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$262 R$1,439

293.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$256 R$1,407

151.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.67

2.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cabo Frio: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cabo Frio

$108 17.3% 83.8% $559

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cabo Frio

$151 24.1% 51% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cabo Frio

$74 11.8% 66.8% $149

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cabo Frio

$100 16% 42.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cabo Frio

$79 12.7% 54.1% $93

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cabo Frio

$85 13.5% 9.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cabo Frio

$29 4.7% 48.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $418 in Cabo Frio. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.5 times higher, 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 $28 in Cabo Frio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $151 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

222,161

💱 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 Cabo Frio 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cabo Frio

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 Cabo Frio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 171%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $938 in Cabo Frio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $625 in Cabo Frio. That makes Cabo Frio about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $135 in Cabo Frio. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – 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 Cabo Frio. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.