Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cachoeirinha

For one person, living is cheaper in Cachoeirinha: $823 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Cachoeirinha
Learn more

Cachoeirinha Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cachoeirinha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cachoeirinha

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $823 in Cachoeirinha, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cachoeirinha $823

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,288 in Cachoeirinha, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cachoeirinha $1,288

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,754 in Cachoeirinha, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cachoeirinha $1,754

Medellin costs about 106% more than Cachoeirinha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cachoeirinha is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$4.13 R$22.58

101.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$18.91 R$103

146.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.11 R$22.42

130.41%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.99 R$10.89

57.29%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.57 R$3.13

210.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.41 R$2.22

246.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.68 R$9.20

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.71 R$14.82

110.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.97 R$5.28

57.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.62 R$8.82

41.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.03 R$5.63

88.35%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.28 R$12.47

34.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$9.61 R$52.5

3.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.60 R$25.11

127.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.52 R$52.0

46.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.23 R$12.19

81.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.35 R$7.39

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.33 R$7.25

57.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.55 R$8.47

47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.14 R$6.21

85.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.01 R$5.51

69.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.80 R$4.38

46.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.81 R$4.41

95.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.26 R$12.35

73.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.55 R$41.21

85.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.05 R$5.72

67.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.02 R$11.01

34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.93 R$5.06

26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$41.72 R$228

82.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.23 R$6.70

47.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.76 R$4.15

180.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$7.66 R$41.84

6.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.23 R$6.72

4.07%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.5K R$117.6K

59.88%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$32.6K R$177.9K

4.77%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$72.7 R$397

144.50%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$11.56 R$63.1

20.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$20.14 R$110

52.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$23.86 R$130

75.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$26.13 R$143

-35.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.60 R$36.05

13.18%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$259 R$1,413

205.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,775 R$37.0K

81.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$47.24 R$258

82.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$55.0 R$300

7.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$95.8 R$523

44.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$72.9 R$398

35.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$334 R$1,826

300.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$227 R$1,240

193.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$639 R$3,489

209.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$446 R$2,434

131.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,580 R$8,627

159.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,162 R$6,343

67.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$594 R$3,243

8.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.5

-4.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cachoeirinha: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cachoeirinha

$227 27.6% 66% $440

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cachoeirinha

$195 23.7% 36.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cachoeirinha

$104 12.7% 53.1% $118

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cachoeirinha

$87 10.6% 49.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cachoeirinha

$122 14.8% 29.2% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cachoeirinha

$50 6.1% 46% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cachoeirinha

$37 4.5% 34.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $334 in Cachoeirinha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Medellin, 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 $19 in Cachoeirinha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $195 – making Cachoeirinha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Cachoeirinha

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

136,258

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cachoeirinha 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cachoeirinha

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 Cachoeirinha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $823 in Cachoeirinha – Cachoeirinha comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,234 in Cachoeirinha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cachoeirinha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $259 in Cachoeirinha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cachoeirinha, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Cachoeirinha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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