Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guarulhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guarulhos

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $964 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Guarulhos $964

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,764 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Guarulhos $1,764

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,565 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Guarulhos $2,565

Medellin costs about 69% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Guarulhos is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$8.69 R$44.06

-4.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$40.01 R$203

17.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.00 R$45.61

2.67%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.46 R$12.50

23.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.35 R$6.82

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.86 R$4.37

60.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.44 R$12.39

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.88 R$19.65

43.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.05 R$5.32

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.88 R$9.52

26.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.33 R$6.76

27.82%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.46 R$12.47

20.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$12.61 R$63.9

-18.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.79 R$24.27

103.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.70 R$54.3

29.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.38 R$12.07

73.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.72 R$8.71

-11.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.53 R$7.74

45.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.53 R$7.76

48.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.26 R$6.40

57.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.18 R$6.00

41.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.98 R$4.97

20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.85 R$4.32

45.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.49 R$12.65

55.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.88 R$50.1

39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.50 R$7.62

10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.49 R$12.64

-3.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.24 R$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$105 R$532

-25.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.17 R$5.94

9.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.72 R$3.64

198.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$8.49 R$43.03

-1.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.28 R$6.50

5.47%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$23.6K R$119.5K

47.41%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$34.2K R$173.5K

1.37%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$91.6 R$465

81.85%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$14.98 R$75.9

-9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$22.33 R$113

30.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$28.22 R$143

59.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$10.05 R$50.9

-30.65%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$429 R$2,173

84.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$11.0K R$56.0K

-18.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$65.1 R$330

34.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$57.1 R$289

1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$92.2 R$467

50.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$79.5 R$403

24.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$349 R$1,770

194.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$158 R$801

292.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$995 R$5,042

89.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$768 R$3,895

31.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,944 R$9,855

105.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,480 R$7,502

15.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$378 R$1,914

75.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.25

-2.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Guarulhos

$158 16.4% 74.5% $462

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Guarulhos

$227 23.5% 23.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Guarulhos

$129 13.4% 38.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Guarulhos

$132 13.7% 23.4% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Guarulhos

$155 16.1% 9.3% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Guarulhos

$115 11.9% 20.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 18.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $349 in Guarulhos. 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 76% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $40.00 in Guarulhos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $227 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,291,771

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Guarulhos 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 69% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,446 in Guarulhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $40.00 in Guarulhos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $964 in Guarulhos. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.