Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Caraguatatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Caraguatatuba: $778 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Caraguatatuba
Learn more

Caraguatatuba Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Caraguatatuba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $778 in Caraguatatuba.

Medellin $1,639
Caraguatatuba $778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,259 in Caraguatatuba.

Medellin $2,413
Caraguatatuba $1,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,739 in Caraguatatuba.

Medellin $3,186
Caraguatatuba $1,739

Living in Medellin is roughly 111% more expensive than in Caraguatatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Caraguatatuba is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.94 R$37.36

16.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$26.88 R$145

75.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.24 R$44.37

15.29%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.15 R$11.58

40.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.10 R$5.91

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.86 R$4.65

63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.25 R$12.11

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.94 R$15.81

95.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.00 R$5.38

51.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.50 R$8.07

58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.23 R$6.60

43.90%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.83 R$9.84

57.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.62 R$30.24

81.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.96 R$15.92

233.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.28 R$39.20

92.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.94 R$10.43

104.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.58 R$8.50

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.39 R$7.48

56.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.26 R$6.78

73.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.24 R$6.65

58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.77 R$4.14

106.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.67 R$3.60

71.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.77 R$4.16

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.00 R$10.78

98.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.33 R$34.08

116.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.46 R$7.84

13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.36 R$12.70

-4.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.96 R$5.16

21.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$21.53 R$116

259.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.08 R$5.84

17.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.66 R$3.56

210.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.30 R$17.77

159.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.21 R$6.52

11.57%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$14.3K R$77.0K

138.25%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$27.6K R$148.7K

25.47%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$62.2 R$335

172.79%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$12.19 R$65.6

11.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$21.17 R$114

32.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$20.15 R$108

116.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$15.02 R$80.9

14.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.41 R$39.89

-6.75%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$207 R$1,111

285.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,944 R$21.2K

131.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$53.3 R$287

58.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$52.1 R$280

11.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$72.4 R$390

86.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$55.4 R$298

76.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$396 R$2,132

204.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$218 R$1,175

193.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$790 R$4,254

156.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$484 R$2,606

108.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,610 R$8,666

158.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,166 R$6,277

63.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$308 R$1,658

113.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.15

34.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Caraguatatuba: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Caraguatatuba

$218 28.1% 66% $423

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Caraguatatuba

$164 21% 44.9% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Caraguatatuba

$96 12.3% 54.8% $116

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Caraguatatuba

$131 16.8% 22.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Caraguatatuba

$105 13.5% 37.9% $64

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Caraguatatuba

$30 3.8% 68.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Caraguatatuba

$35 4.5% 39.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $396 in Caraguatatuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Caraguatatuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $164 per month, with Caraguatatuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Caraguatatuba

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

134,873

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Caraguatatuba 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Caraguatatuba

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 Caraguatatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caraguatatuba is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $396 in Caraguatatuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Caraguatatuba – a meal for two runs $27 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $778 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Caraguatatuba but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Caraguatatuba 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 Caraguatatuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.