Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cotia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $868 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
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Cotia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cotia

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $868 in Cotia, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cotia $868

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,421 in Cotia, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cotia $1,421

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,974 in Cotia, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cotia $1,974

Medellin costs about 95% more than Cotia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cotia is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$6.41 R$35.19

30.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$37.71 R$207

23.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$8.32 R$45.65

13.82%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.44 R$13.39

28.28%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.32 R$7.25

34.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.08 R$5.94

31.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.66 R$14.60

18.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.02 R$22.04

41.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.12 R$6.12

36.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.75 R$9.62

30.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.15 R$6.32

68.70%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.68 R$14.69

14.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$11.26 R$61.8

-11.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.33 R$23.75

141.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$10.07 R$55.2

38.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.53 R$13.91

60.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.66 R$9.12

-7.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.46 R$8.03

43.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.76 R$9.65

30.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$1.34 R$7.33

57.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$1.21 R$6.63

41.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.84 R$4.61

39.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.69 R$3.79

128.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.63 R$14.43

48.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$8.28 R$45.46

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.60 R$8.80

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$2.31 R$12.70

17.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.94 R$5.18

25.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$42.38 R$233

80.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.21 R$6.62

49.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.89 R$4.90

139.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$8.84 R$48.50

-8.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.23 R$6.75

4.07%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$21.8K R$119.8K

57.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$31.7K R$174.0K

7.67%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$41.28 R$227

330.55%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$13.58 R$74.5

2.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$16.86 R$92.6

82.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$24.35 R$134

72.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$25.53 R$140

-34.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.35 R$40.32

1.63%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$401 R$2,203

96.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,110 R$39.0K

72.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$52.8 R$290

63.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$54.4 R$299

8.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$90.4 R$496

53.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$78.9 R$433

25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$340 R$1,865

294.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$230 R$1,261

190.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$643 R$3,530

207.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$452 R$2,479

128.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,611 R$8,840

154.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,144 R$6,281

69.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.12

-1.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cotia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cotia

$230 26.5% 65.6% $437

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cotia

$214 24.7% 30.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cotia

$72 8.3% 67.7% $151

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cotia

$136 15.7% 20.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cotia

$124 14.3% 27.8% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cotia

$52 6% 44.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cotia

$39 4.5% 31.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $340 in Cotia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in Cotia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $214 – making Cotia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Cotia

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

274,413

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Cotia 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cotia

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 Cotia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 95% more than Cotia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,301 in Cotia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cotia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in Cotia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $868 in Cotia. That makes Cotia about 49% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $868 in Cotia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cotia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cotia is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.