Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ferraz de Vasconcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferraz de Vasconcelos: $836 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Brazil
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$836
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ferraz de Vasconcelos

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 Ferraz de Vasconcelos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $836 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos $836

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,314 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos $1,314

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

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos $1,793

Living in Medellin is roughly 103% more expensive than in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Ferraz de Vasconcelos is 38% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$6.00 R$33.02
39.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$27.26 R$150
70.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$6.63 R$36.48
42.84%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$1.71 R$9.43
83.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,704
$1.26 R$6.95
40.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,600
$0.79 R$4.32
79.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$2.00 R$11.02
57.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$3.15 R$17.31
80.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,949
$0.94 R$5.19
62.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,399
$1.62 R$8.92
41.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,281
$1.19 R$6.55
63.03%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,902
$2.18 R$11.99
40.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$8.53 R$46.95
17.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$3.83 R$21.08
172.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$7.88 R$43.36
77.16%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.06 R$11.31
96.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,936
$1.20 R$6.60
27.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,795
$1.07 R$5.87
96.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,407
$1.48 R$8.13
54.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,812
$1.16 R$6.39
81.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,519
$0.95 R$5.21
80.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,779
$0.72 R$3.97
62.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,102
$0.76 R$4.16
107.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$2.29 R$12.58
70.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
$7.37 R$40.54
90.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,689
$1.28 R$7.02
37.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,758
$1.76 R$9.70
53.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,810
$0.91 R$5.03
29.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
$41.09 R$226
85.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,835
$1.14 R$6.28
58.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,876
$0.74 R$4.08
187.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$6.66 R$36.67
22.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,118
$1.17 R$6.44
9.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$21.6K R$119.0K
59.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.2M
$34.1K R$187.5K
0.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.9K
$73.3 R$403
142.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$11.38 R$62.6
22.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$19.49 R$107
57.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.4K
$23.54 R$130
78.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
$25.92 R$143
-35.19%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$6.64 R$36.55
12.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$267 R$1,469
195.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$6,664 R$36.7K
84.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.8K
$52.0 R$286
66.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$46.54 R$256
27.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.7K
$83.4 R$459
65.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.1K
$65.7 R$362
50.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$340 R$1,872
294.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$242 R$1,332
175.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$635 R$3,494
211.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$460 R$2,531
124.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$1,590 R$8,751
157.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,138 R$6,265
70.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$281 R$1,548
129.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
11
-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 Ferraz de Vasconcelos: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$242 63.7% $425
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$179 41.9% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$104 53.2% $118
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$113 34.6% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$111 35.3% $61
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$50 46.9% $44
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$37 35.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $340 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $179 per month, with Ferraz de Vasconcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇷 Ferraz de Vasconcelos
🕒 Local time
16:02 4:02 PM
18:02 6:02 PM
2 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
179,198
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Ferraz de Vasconcelos 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos

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 Ferraz de Vasconcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Ferraz de Vasconcelos wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ferraz de Vasconcelos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Medellin or in Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Average pay in Medellin is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medellin compared to Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $340 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Medellin compared to Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
A monthly transit pass in Ferraz de Vasconcelos runs roughly 46% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Medellin and in Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $267 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $800/month in Medellin or in Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ferraz de Vasconcelos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ferraz de Vasconcelos 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.

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