Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Caruaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $611 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Caruaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $611 in Caruaru.

Medellin $1,692
Caruaru $611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,000 in Caruaru.

Medellin $2,471
Caruaru $1,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,388 in Caruaru.

Medellin $3,249
Caruaru $1,388

Living in Medellin is roughly 177% more expensive than in Caruaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Caruaru is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.36 R$29.29

55.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$27.77 R$152

67.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.57 R$41.36

25.10%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.48 R$8.10

111.49%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.97 R$5.32

82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.60 R$3.25

136.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.55 R$8.45

103.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.25 R$12.29

153.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.08 R$5.88

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.03 R$5.61

122.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.26 R$6.89

53.97%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.88 R$10.28

63.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.19 R$22.86

138.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.51 R$24.64

131.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.99 R$38.19

99.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.26 R$6.89

221.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.91 R$4.98

68.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$0.76 R$4.17

176.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.08 R$5.89

112.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.49 R$8.16

41.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.18 R$6.45

44.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.69 R$3.76

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.77 R$4.19

105.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.71 R$14.81

44.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.41 R$40.47

89.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.57 R$8.56

12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.17 R$11.83

24.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.80 R$4.35

47.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$24.98 R$136

205.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.07 R$5.84

69.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.82 R$9.92

17.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$2.88 R$15.75

182.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.22 R$6.68

4.92%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.8K R$119.3K

57.70%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$30.4K R$166.2K

12.16%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$51.8 R$283

242.91%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$7.32 R$39.99

89.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$9.16 R$50.1

235.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$13.86 R$75.7

202.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$27.91 R$152

-39.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.75 R$36.88

10.67%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$102 R$558

673.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,162 R$33.7K

99.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$36.72 R$200

135.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$45.83 R$250

29.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$81.4 R$445

69.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$60.0 R$328

64.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$152 R$829

783.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$119 R$648

462.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$329 R$1,795

501.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$235 R$1,285

338.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$238 R$1,302

171.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Caruaru: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Caruaru

$119 19.4% 82.2% $549

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Caruaru

$156 25.5% 49.3% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Caruaru

$68 11.2% 69.3% $154

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Caruaru

$102 16.7% 40.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Caruaru

$101 16.5% 41.5% $71

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Caruaru

$38 6.3% 59% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Caruaru

$27 4.5% 51.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $152 in Caruaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.7 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $28 in Caruaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $156 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

377,911

💱 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 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 →

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Between locations

Medellin Caruaru 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Caruaru

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 Caruaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $611 in Caruaru, so Caruaru is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.7 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $152 in Caruaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $102 in Caruaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $611 in Caruaru versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.