Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Criciuma

For one person, living is cheaper in Criciuma: $711 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Criciuma
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Criciuma Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Criciuma

🇧🇷 Brazil

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Criciuma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $711 in Criciuma.

Medellin $1,692
Criciuma $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,060 in Criciuma.

Medellin $2,471
Criciuma $1,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,410 in Criciuma.

Medellin $3,249
Criciuma $1,410

Living in Medellin is roughly 138% more expensive than in Criciuma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Criciuma is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.38 R$29.39

55.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$20.36 R$111

128.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$5.48 R$29.92

72.81%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.23 R$6.72

154.47%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.04 R$5.68

70.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.68 R$3.71

108.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.50 R$8.20

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.83 R$9.97

211.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.84 R$4.60

82.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.35 R$7.40

69.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.02 R$5.58

90.20%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.90 R$10.36

61.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.59 R$41.47

31.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.38 R$18.46

209.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$8.00 R$43.66

74.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.96 R$10.72

106.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.08 R$5.92

41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$0.94 R$5.16

123.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.48 R$8.11

54.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.15 R$6.30

83.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.03 R$5.63

66.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.74 R$4.04

58.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.61 R$3.31

159.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.35 R$12.81

66.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$4.38 R$23.93

220.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.08 R$5.91

62.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.33 R$7.29

103.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.95 R$5.17

24.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$36.40 R$199

109.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$0.45 R$2.48

302.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.72 R$3.95

195.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$2.27 R$12.37

258.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.22 R$6.65

4.92%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.7K R$118.5K

58.76%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$28.5K R$155.6K

19.82%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$66.5 R$363

167.30%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$11.38 R$62.2

22.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$20.08 R$110

53.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$26.76 R$146

56.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$37.06 R$202

-54.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.77 R$36.95

10.34%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$154 R$842

412.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$2,747 R$15.0K

347.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$46.99 R$257

83.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$27.95 R$153

112.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$75.9 R$415

82.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$40.62 R$222

143.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$222 R$1,210

505.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$192 R$1,049

247.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$378 R$2,064

422.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$248 R$1,355

316.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,096 R$5,985

273.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$594 R$3,245

226.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$288 R$1,572

124.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.74

1.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Criciuma: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Criciuma

$192 27% 71.2% $475

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Criciuma

$157 22.2% 48.8% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Criciuma

$98 13.8% 55.9% $124

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Criciuma

$92 13% 46.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Criciuma

$86 12.1% 50% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Criciuma

$44 6.2% 52.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Criciuma

$40 5.7% 29.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $222 in Criciuma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.2 times 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 in Medellin vs $20 in Criciuma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $157 per month, with Criciuma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Criciuma

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

214,493

💱 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 3, 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 3, 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 →

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Medellin Criciuma 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Criciuma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Criciuma is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $222 in Criciuma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Criciuma runs roughly 52% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $154 in Criciuma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $711 in Criciuma versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Criciuma but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Criciuma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Criciuma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.