Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Goiania

For one person, living is cheaper in Goiania: $951 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Goiania, Brazil
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Goiania
🇧🇷 Brazil
$951
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Goiania

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $951 in Goiania, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Goiania $951

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,459 in Goiania, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Goiania $1,459

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,967 in Goiania, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Goiania $1,967

Medellin costs about 72% more than Goiania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Goiania is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$5.62 R$30.54
43.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.8K
$22.56 R$123
108.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$6.41 R$34.84
48.21%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,729
$1.59 R$8.66
89.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,806
$0.99 R$5.39
81.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,558
$0.71 R$3.85
98.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$2.55 R$13.88
24.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$2.74 R$14.87
109.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,873
$0.93 R$5.06
62.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,673
$1.79 R$9.72
32.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,716
$1.29 R$7.01
37.21%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,327
$1.75 R$9.49
65.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$7.46 R$40.55
36.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$3.55 R$19.28
178.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$6.07 R$33.00
130.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.45 R$7.88
173.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,009
$1.58 R$8.58
-1.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,044
$0.81 R$4.39
169.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$1.87 R$10.18
16.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,333
$1.04 R$5.63
88.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,129
$1.42 R$7.70
11.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,696
$0.75 R$4.08
53.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,012
$0.77 R$4.21
61.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$2.59 R$14.11
52.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$9.83 R$53.4
39.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,356
$1.91 R$10.38
-13.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,286
$1.62 R$8.83
39.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,769
$0.84 R$4.56
39.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.7K
$36.22 R$197
113.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,092
$1.18 R$6.40
7.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,608
$1.00 R$5.45
105.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$5.47 R$29.71
56.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,346
$1.19 R$6.50
13.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.9M
$21.6K R$117.2K
57.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$32.8K R$178.3K
5.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.5K
$67.9 R$369
149.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$13.05 R$70.9
3.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$20.64 R$112
36.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.0K
$23.20 R$126
88.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$19.53 R$106
-11.98%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$9.39 R$51.1
-26.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$401 R$2,178
98.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$7,692 R$41.8K
18.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.4K
$52.5 R$285
61.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.0K
$58.3 R$317
-0.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.5K
$79.0 R$430
70.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.8K
$91.2 R$496
7.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$344 R$1,871
251.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$350 R$1,901
83.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$783 R$4,259
158.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$651 R$3,540
55.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$1,661 R$9,031
151.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$1,397 R$7,593
36.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Goiania
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$353 R$1,920
86.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
10.95
-0.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Goiania: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Goiania
$350 45.5% $292
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Goiania
$178 40.2% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Goiania
$102 51.9% $110
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Goiania
$108 36.1% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Goiania
$126 25.2% $43
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Goiania
$46 51.1% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Goiania
$42 27% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $344 in Goiania. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 86% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $23 in Goiania. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $178 – making Goiania the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇷 Goiania
🕒 Local time
02:25 2:25 AM
04:25 4:25 AM
2 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,437,366
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Goiania 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Goiania

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 Goiania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Goiania cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,427 in Goiania. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Goiania, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $344 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Goiania?
Groceries cost about 67% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Goiania?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $23 in Goiania. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is Medellin or Goiania more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Goiania – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Goiania. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?