Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Florianopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Florianopolis: $1,171 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Florianopolis
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Florianopolis Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Florianopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Florianopolis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,171 in Florianopolis.

Medellin $1,639
Florianopolis $1,171

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,913 in Florianopolis.

Medellin $2,413
Florianopolis $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,656 in Florianopolis.

Medellin $3,186
Florianopolis $2,656

Living in Medellin is roughly 40% more expensive than in Florianopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Florianopolis is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$9.03 R$48.28

-10.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$41.13 R$220

14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.39 R$39.51

28.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.32 R$12.43

29.74%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.24 R$6.61

45.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.01 R$5.38

39.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.87 R$15.34

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.39 R$18.13

69.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.97 R$5.19

55.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.48 R$7.90

60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.19 R$6.39

48.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.41 R$12.86

19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$8.97 R$47.98

13.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.78 R$20.20

161.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.40 R$50.3

48.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.20 R$11.78

80.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.16 R$6.18

33.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.43 R$7.62

52.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.55 R$8.30

40.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.02 R$5.46

92.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.90 R$4.82

76.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.75 R$3.99

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.65 R$3.45

90.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.77 R$14.82

42.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$9.07 R$48.50

50.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.39 R$7.41

19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.78 R$14.89

-18.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.28 R$6.82

-8.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$76.7 R$410

0.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.47 R$7.87

-13.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.46 R$7.80

40.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$11.30 R$60.4

-24.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.21 R$6.47

11.57%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$21.9K R$117.3K

55.33%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$32.7K R$174.8K

6.05%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$78.1 R$417

117.28%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$11.83 R$63.3

14.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$20.45 R$109

37.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$30.09 R$161

45.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$17.59 R$94.0

-2.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.53 R$40.25

-8.23%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$719 R$3,845

10.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$10.3K R$54.9K

-11.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$59.5 R$318

42.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$65.5 R$350

-11.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$104 R$557

29.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$63.7 R$341

53.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$640 R$3,419

88.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$450 R$2,405

42.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,240 R$6,627

63.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,001 R$5,351

1.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,696 R$14.4K

54.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,617 R$8,646

18.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$958 R$5,124

-31.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.61

3.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Florianopolis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Florianopolis

$450 38.4% 29.9% $192

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Florianopolis

$191 16.3% 35.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Florianopolis

$110 9.4% 47.8% $101

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Florianopolis

$152 13% 10.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Florianopolis

$132 11.3% 22% $37

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Florianopolis

$91 7.7% 3.2% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Florianopolis

$45 3.9% 21.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $640 in Florianopolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Florianopolis pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $41 in Florianopolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $191 per month, with Florianopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Florianopolis

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

537,211

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Florianopolis 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Florianopolis

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 Florianopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Florianopolis wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Florianopolis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $640 in Florianopolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,171 in Florianopolis – Florianopolis is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Florianopolis is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Florianopolis is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.