Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Crato

For one person, living is cheaper in Crato: $823 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Crato
Learn more

Crato Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Crato

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Crato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $823 in Crato.

Medellin $1,692
Crato $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,308 in Crato.

Medellin $2,471
Crato $1,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,793 in Crato.

Medellin $3,249
Crato $1,793

Living in Medellin is roughly 106% more expensive than in Crato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Crato is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$5.47 R$30.00

52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$29.34 R$161

58.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.12 R$39.05

33.01%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.91 R$10.48

63.87%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.25 R$6.87

41.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.70 R$3.84

102.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.88 R$10.33

67.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.82 R$15.47

102.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$0.93 R$5.11

64.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.54 R$8.47

48.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.16 R$6.34

67.24%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.09 R$11.45

46.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.59 R$47.12

16.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.12 R$22.60

153.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$7.84 R$43.04

78.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.07 R$11.34

95.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.23 R$6.74

24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.12 R$6.15

87.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.52 R$8.36

50.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$1.17 R$6.42

80.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$1.01 R$5.52

69.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.76 R$4.20

53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.71 R$3.88

122.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.38 R$13.05

64.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$7.52 R$41.29

86.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.22 R$6.70

44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.98 R$10.87

36.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.93 R$5.12

26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$41.59 R$228

83.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.20 R$6.57

50.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.86 R$4.71

147.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.64 R$41.94

6.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.16 R$6.36

10.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$21.9K R$120.1K

57.42%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$31.6K R$173.7K

7.85%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$71.7 R$393

148.05%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$11.65 R$63.9

19.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$20.02 R$110

53.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$24.57 R$135

70.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$25.53 R$140

-34.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$6.67 R$36.60

11.99%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$264 R$1,451

198.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$6,689 R$36.7K

83.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$51.8 R$284

66.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$45.64 R$250

29.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$82.5 R$453

67.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$67.5 R$370

46.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$338 R$1,856

296.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$229 R$1,258

190.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$629 R$3,452

214.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$449 R$2,464

130.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,578 R$8,661

159.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,122 R$6,156

72.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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 Crato: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Crato

$229 27.9% 65.6% $438

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Crato

$180 21.8% 41.6% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Crato

$103 12.6% 53.5% $119

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Crato

$111 13.5% 35.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Crato

$111 13.5% 35.4% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Crato

$51 6.2% 45.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Crato

$38 4.6% 33.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $338 in Crato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $29 in Crato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $180 per month, with Crato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Crato

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

131,050

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Crato 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Crato

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 Crato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Crato wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Crato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,235 in Crato to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $338 in Crato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Crato runs roughly 45% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $264 in Crato. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Crato is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Crato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.