Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $724 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Contagem

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $724 in Contagem, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Contagem $724

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,164 in Contagem, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Contagem $1,164

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,605 in Contagem, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Contagem $1,605

Medellin costs about 134% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Contagem is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.54 R$30.24

50.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$27.69 R$151

68.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$6.65 R$36.33

42.41%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.63 R$8.89

92.02%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.28 R$6.97

38.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.58 R$3.14

144.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.22 R$6.65

158.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.28 R$12.45

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.88 R$4.78

73.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.61 R$8.81

42.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.28 R$6.98

51.56%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.87 R$10.23

64.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.96 R$48.91

11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.14 R$17.16

232.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.17 R$39.16

94.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.82 R$9.93

122.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.15 R$6.26

33.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$0.90 R$4.89

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.51 R$8.26

51.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.04 R$5.68

102.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.99 R$5.39

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.74 R$4.05

58.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.72 R$3.91

119.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$1.48 R$8.09

164.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$5.47 R$29.90

156.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$0.90 R$4.92

95.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.32 R$7.24

105.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.38 R$7.55

-14.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$72.7 R$397

4.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.04 R$5.67

74.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.82 R$4.46

159.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.82 R$31.76

39.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.16 R$6.34

10.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.8K R$119.1K

57.95%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$29.5K R$161.3K

15.53%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$70.5 R$385

152.03%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$9.22 R$50.4

50.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$17.33 R$94.7

77.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$24.57 R$134

70.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$22.42 R$122

-25.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.80 R$37.12

9.85%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$136 R$741

482.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$2,460 R$13.4K

399.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$55.4 R$303

55.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$44.74 R$244

32.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$62.5 R$341

121.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$44.16 R$241

123.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$208 R$1,133

546.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$147 R$800

355.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$433 R$2,363

356.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$305 R$1,665

238.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,863 R$10.2K

119.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$922 R$5,033

110.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$237 R$1,293

172.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.67

2.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Contagem: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Contagem

$147 20.3% 78% $521

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Contagem

$163 22.6% 46.8% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Contagem

$97 13.4% 56.3% $125

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Contagem

$102 14.1% 41% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Contagem

$93 12.9% 46% $79

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Contagem

$83 11.5% 10.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Contagem

$38 5.3% 32.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $208 in Contagem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $28 in Contagem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $163 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

621,863

💱 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

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Between locations

Medellin Contagem 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 134%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,085 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $136 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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