Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guararema

For one person, living is cheaper in Guararema: $754 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Guararema
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Guararema Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Guararema

🇧🇷 Brazil

$754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guararema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $754 in Guararema.

Medellin $1,692
Guararema $754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,230 in Guararema.

Medellin $2,471
Guararema $1,230

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,707 in Guararema.

Medellin $3,249
Guararema $1,707

Living in Medellin is roughly 125% more expensive than in Guararema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Guararema is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.47 R$30.10

52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$33.52 R$185

38.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.13 R$44.77

16.48%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.17 R$6.46

167.52%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$1.22 R$6.72

45.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$0.88 R$4.85

61.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.82 R$9.99

73.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.09 R$17.01

84.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$0.96 R$5.27

59.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$1.39 R$7.67

64.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$1.26 R$6.96

53.97%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$2.47 R$13.61

24.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$9.72 R$53.5

2.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.69 R$25.79

122.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.94 R$54.7

40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.18 R$12.01

85.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$1.56 R$8.61

-1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$1.41 R$7.79

48.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$1.28 R$7.03

78.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$1.17 R$6.42

80.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$1.15 R$6.31

48.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$0.90 R$4.96

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$0.80 R$4.42

97.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.34 R$12.88

67.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$7.60 R$41.82

84.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$1.37 R$7.56

28.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$2.39 R$13.16

13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$1.12 R$6.18

5.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$18.98 R$104

301.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$1.00 R$5.49

81.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$0.70 R$3.84

204.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$8.77 R$48.29

-7.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$1.21 R$6.66

5.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$14.8K R$81.4K

132.91%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$22.0K R$121.2K

54.94%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$37.30 R$205

376.49%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$7.34 R$40.37

89.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$14.42 R$79.4

113.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$24.19 R$133

73.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$19.19 R$106

-12.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.65 R$20.08

104.66%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$399 R$2,196

98.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$10.1K R$55.7K

21.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$46.02 R$253

87.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$27.98 R$154

111.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$83.2 R$458

66.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$54.6 R$301

80.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$341 R$1,876

293.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$235 R$1,293

184.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$635 R$3,496

211.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$453 R$2,494

127.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,588 R$8,741

158.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,157 R$6,369

67.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$272 R$1,498

137.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.56%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Guararema: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Guararema

$235 31.2% 64.8% $432

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Guararema

$199 26.4% 35.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Guararema

$59 7.8% 73.4% $163

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Guararema

$106 14.1% 38.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Guararema

$95 12.7% 44.7% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Guararema

$28 3.7% 70.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Guararema

$31 4.2% 44.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

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

Medellin pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $34 in Guararema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $199 per month, with Guararema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Guararema

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

31,236

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Guararema 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Guararema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guararema is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $341 in Guararema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $754 in Guararema – Guararema is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Guararema runs roughly 75% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $754 in Guararema versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guararema but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Guararema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Guararema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.