Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dourados

For one person, living is cheaper in Dourados: $881 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Dourados
Learn more

Dourados Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Dourados

🇧🇷 Brazil

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dourados

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $881 in Dourados.

Medellin $1,625
Dourados $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,409 in Dourados.

Medellin $2,412
Dourados $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,937 in Dourados.

Medellin $3,199
Dourados $1,937

Living in Medellin is roughly 84% more expensive than in Dourados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Dourados is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$6.05 R$30.20

37.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$31.61 R$158

48.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$7.72 R$38.57

19.69%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,596

$2.09 R$10.44

45.93%

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

$1.80 COP 5,659

$1.33 R$6.63

35.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,345

$0.77 R$3.84

79.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$2.02 R$10.10

60.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$3.07 R$15.35

81.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,720

$1.07 R$5.34

40.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,445

$1.73 R$8.64

36.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,332

$1.28 R$6.42

32.81%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,301

$2.15 R$10.75

37.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$9.53 R$47.61

7.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$4.35 R$21.71

123.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$8.40 R$41.97

65.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$2.24 R$11.19

84.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.31 R$6.56

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,993

$1.21 R$6.06

83.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$1.53 R$7.65

48.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,258

$1.27 R$6.35

56.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,241

$1.11 R$5.55

50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.84 R$4.20

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,886

$0.83 R$4.17

49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$2.47 R$12.36

56.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$7.87 R$39.30

75.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,212

$1.27 R$6.36

30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,552

$2.03 R$10.17

18.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.00 R$4.99

24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

$44.26 R$221

76.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$1.32 R$6.60

-3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.92 R$4.61

133.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$8.17 R$40.82

2.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.31 R$6.53

3.05%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$23.9K R$119.5K

45.33%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.6K R$162.8K

6.45%

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

$167 COP 524.0K

$75.6 R$378

120.38%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$12.64 R$63.2

7.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$20.95 R$105

39.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$25.92 R$130

73.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$27.94 R$140

-38.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$7.39 R$36.94

-5.68%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$284 R$1,420

177.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$7,338 R$36.7K

23.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$54.8 R$274

60.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.8K

$50.3 R$251

15.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.0K

$92.1 R$460

50.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$73.8 R$369

33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$360 R$1,798

185.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$240 R$1,198

158.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$686 R$3,425

174.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$481 R$2,402

109.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$1,719 R$8,588

132.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,189 R$5,939

43.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dourados: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Dourados

$240 27.2% 61.3% $380

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Dourados

$194 22.1% 34.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Dourados

$109 12.4% 47.8% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Dourados

$122 13.8% 29.4% $51

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Dourados

$121 13.8% 29% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Dourados

$54 6.2% 43.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Dourados

$41 4.6% 31% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $360 in Dourados. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $32 in Dourados for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $194 per month, with Dourados cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Dourados

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

243,367

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Dourados 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dourados

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 Dourados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dourados wins on cost – living expenses run 46% 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 $2,437 in Medellin and $1,322 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $360 in Dourados. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% 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 $32 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Dourados 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 Dourados gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.