Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Caxias do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Caxias do Sul: $817 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Caxias do Sul
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Caxias do Sul Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Caxias do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $817 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Caxias do Sul $817

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,379 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Caxias do Sul $1,379

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,941 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Caxias do Sul $1,941

Medellin costs about 98% more than Caxias do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Caxias do Sul is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$6.97 R$35.02

13.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.9K

$38.56 R$194

19.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$6.99 R$35.13

35.91%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,908

$1.94 R$9.73

60.31%

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

$1.83 COP 5,824

$1.42 R$7.12

28.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,378

$1.10 R$5.53

25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,712

$2.25 R$11.33

35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$2.97 R$14.94

85.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,619

$0.89 R$4.47

62.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,527

$1.66 R$8.33

42.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,351

$1.14 R$5.72

47.37%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,115

$2.00 R$10.04

43.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$10.22 R$51.4

-0.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$4.88 R$24.55

95.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$10.20 R$51.3

37.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$1.56 R$7.86

160.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,762

$1.09 R$5.50

37.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,920

$0.58 R$2.92

274.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,340

$1.66 R$8.35

39.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,139

$0.98 R$4.91

96.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,218

$0.67 R$3.39

144.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$0.79 R$3.96

43.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,971

$0.73 R$3.68

71.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$2.55 R$12.80

56.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$3.96 R$19.92

237.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,406

$1.12 R$5.62

51.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,557

$2.24 R$11.26

5.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,843

$1.40 R$7.05

-13.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.5K

$43.70 R$220

75.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,197

$1.27 R$6.40

3.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,802

$0.81 R$4.09

164.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$8.08 R$40.59

4.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,132

$1.30 R$6.55

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

$28.0K COP 89.1M

$23.7K R$119.4K

17.86%

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

$35.4K COP 112.8M

$33.5K R$168.3K

5.76%

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

$172 COP 547.9K

$71.6 R$360

140.52%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$12.57 R$63.2

6.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.5K

$22.36 R$112

28.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.1K

$26.54 R$133

70.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$59.0 R$297

-71.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$7.48 R$37.62

-16.04%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$406 R$2,038

89.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$24.2K R$121.6K

-62.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.1K

$50.4 R$253

71.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.9K

$36.75 R$185

55.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.7K

$101 R$507

35.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.7K

$79.6 R$400

23.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$272 R$1,367

288.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$184 R$924

234.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$701 R$3,524

169.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$429 R$2,155

138.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,769 R$8,892

129.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,226 R$6,165

36.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$565 R$2,838

15.54%

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: October 12, 2026

Last update for Caxias do Sul: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Caxias do Sul

$184 22.5% 70.1% $432

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Caxias do Sul

$183 22.4% 37.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Caxias do Sul

$106 13% 50.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Caxias do Sul

$120 14.7% 29.2% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Caxias do Sul

$127 15.6% 24.4% $41

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Caxias do Sul

$55 6.7% 41.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Caxias do Sul

$42 5.1% 28.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $272 in Caxias do Sul. 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 16% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $39.00 in Caxias do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $183 – making Caxias do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Caxias do Sul

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

13:16 1:16 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

463,501

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3,184 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,567 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Caxias do Sul 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $817 in Caxias do Sul – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,226 in Caxias do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caxias do Sul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Caxias do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $406 in Caxias do Sul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Caxias do Sul, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Caxias do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $817 in Caxias do Sul to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Caxias do Sul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.