Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chapeco

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
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Chapeco Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chapeco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $980 in Chapeco.

Medellin $1,625
Chapeco $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,454 in Chapeco.

Medellin $2,412
Chapeco $1,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,927 in Chapeco.

Medellin $3,199
Chapeco $1,927

Living in Medellin is roughly 66% more expensive than in Chapeco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Chapeco is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$5.53 R$28.05

50.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$35.46 R$180

32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.92 R$45.20

3.59%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.92 R$9.76

58.85%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.75 R$3.80

140.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.59 R$2.98

133.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.45 R$7.33

123.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.31 R$11.73

140.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.90 R$4.56

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.14 R$5.78

107.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.14 R$10.85

-20.56%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.86 R$9.44

59.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.24 R$41.75

24.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$7.53 R$38.20

29.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.95 R$55.5

26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.34 R$11.88

76.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.99 R$5.02

54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.53 R$2.68

318.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.70 R$3.54

224.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.53 R$2.70

275.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.53 R$2.70

215.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.95 R$4.83

24.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.70 R$3.53

77.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.32 R$11.75

66.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.31 R$47.19

48.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.88 R$4.48

88.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.48 R$7.49

62.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.97 R$4.94

27.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$36.44 R$185

114.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.28 R$6.50

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.17 R$5.93

15.38%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$22.9K R$116.0K

51.97%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$30.5K R$154.6K

13.70%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$172 R$873

-3.19%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$10.47 R$53.1

30.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$18.84 R$95.5

54.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$26.24 R$133

71.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$33.45 R$170

-48.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.68 R$33.86

4.34%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$26.98 R$137

225.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$18.26 R$92.6

218.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$36.87 R$187

276.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$53.6 R$272

84.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$415 R$2,103

147.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$329 R$1,668

88.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$851 R$4,313

121.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$536 R$2,718

87.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,509 R$7,649

164.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$987 R$5,005

72.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$414 R$2,097

60.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Chapeco

$329 33.6% 46.9% $290

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Chapeco

$196 20% 34.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Chapeco

$201 20.6% 3.8% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Chapeco

$61 6.2% 64.6% $112

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Chapeco

$111 11.4% 34.8% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3% 56.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Chapeco

$40 4% 32.9% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $415 in Chapeco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 60% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $35.00 in Chapeco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $196 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

243,477

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Chapeco 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chapeco

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 Chapeco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $415 in Chapeco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $980 in Chapeco – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $980 in Chapeco versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.