Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dourados Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dourados

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Medellin versus $851 in Dourados.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,447 in Medellin versus $1,336 in Dourados.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,253 in Medellin versus $1,820 in Dourados.

Living in Medellin is roughly 93% more expensive than in Dourados, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Dourados is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 COP 24.9K

$5.83 R$29.77

37.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.29 COP 149.7K

$30.55 R$156

58.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 COP 29.2K

$6.96 R$35.55

35.34%

Cappuccino

$2.94 COP 9,105

$1.95 R$9.97

50.77%

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

$1.86 COP 5,776

$1.24 R$6.32

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,511

$0.77 R$3.94

89.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 COP 9,953

$1.93 R$9.87

66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 COP 17.7K

$2.97 R$15.17

92.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,460

$1.00 R$5.13

44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,442

$1.67 R$8.52

43.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,265

$1.20 R$6.15

41.67%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 8,960

$2.14 R$10.93

35.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 COP 31.2K

$8.98 R$45.84

12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 COP 30.9K

$4.10 R$20.93

143.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 COP 44.0K

$8.27 R$42.24

71.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 COP 12.3K

$2.12 R$10.82

87.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 COP 4,913

$1.25 R$6.40

26.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,671

$1.18 R$6.03

82.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,129

$1.56 R$7.99

47.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,213

$1.21 R$6.18

65.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,679

$1.09 R$5.55

38.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 COP 3,727

$0.82 R$4.20

46.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 COP 3,974

$0.81 R$4.12

58.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 COP 11.9K

$2.43 R$12.38

58.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.4K

$7.92 R$40.43

76.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,294

$1.19 R$6.10

43.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 COP 8,500

$2.11 R$10.79

29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,861

$1.00 R$5.10

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 241.5K

$42.36 R$216

83.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,045

$1.23 R$6.30

6.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 COP 6,728

$0.86 R$4.37

152.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 COP 25.7K

$7.86 R$40.11

5.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,202

$1.22 R$6.22

11.48%

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

$27.5K COP 85.2M

$22.7K R$115.9K

21.01%

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

$36.5K COP 113.2M

$31.9K R$163.0K

14.40%

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

$169 COP 523.0K

$72.2 R$369

133.59%

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

$13.57 COP 42.1K

$12.27 R$62.6

10.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 COP 87.8K

$20.17 R$103

40.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 COP 141.7K

$24.78 R$127

84.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 COP 53.4K

$26.50 R$135

-35.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.6K

$7.11 R$36.27

-6.47%

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

$803 COP 2.5M

$286 R$1,460

180.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 COP 28.5M

$7,418 R$37.9K

23.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 COP 270.8K

$52.8 R$270

65.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 COP 184.0K

$48.50 R$248

22.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 430.5K

$91.5 R$467

51.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 316.3K

$69.6 R$355

46.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 COP 3.3M

$338 R$1,723

217.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.0M

$233 R$1,189

180.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 COP 6.0M

$635 R$3,243

203.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 COP 3.2M

$453 R$2,311

131.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 COP 12.8M

$1,596 R$8,147

158.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 COP 5.3M

$1,129 R$5,763

50.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

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: September 7, 2026

Last update for Dourados: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,071 in Medellin and $338 in Dourados. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $31.00 in Dourados for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $188 per month, with Dourados cheaper across the board.

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 Dourados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dourados wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dourados the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,462 in Medellin and $1,277 in Dourados 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: $1,071 in Medellin versus $338 in Dourados. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dourados – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $48.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $851 in Dourados versus $1,641 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dourados but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dourados the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dourados delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $851 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dourados hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Dourados gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.