Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ilheus

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilheus: $786 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Ilheus
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Ilheus Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ilheus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ilheus

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $786 in Ilheus, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ilheus $786

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,283 in Ilheus, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ilheus $1,283

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,779 in Ilheus, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ilheus $1,779

Medellin costs about 108% more than Ilheus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ilheus is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.91 R$20.90

106.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$29.88 R$160

57.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.47 R$39.93

27.18%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.86 R$9.92

61.83%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.16 R$6.19

55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.84 R$4.47

67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.73 R$9.25

83.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.16 R$16.88

81.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.05 R$5.61

43.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.61 R$8.61

47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.22 R$6.52

45.08%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.00 R$10.71

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$17.98 R$96.1

-43.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.92 R$20.98

151.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.37 R$39.41

89.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.10 R$11.24

89.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.18 R$6.31

31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.14 R$6.09

91.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.50 R$8.00

45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.18 R$6.32

66.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.99 R$5.32

60.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.77 R$4.10

49.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.65 R$3.45

90.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.30 R$12.28

72.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.96 R$37.19

96.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.10 R$5.89

50.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.97 R$10.51

14.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.95 R$5.06

23.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$41.11 R$220

88.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.08 R$5.79

17.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.94 R$5.01

118.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.78 R$36.23

26.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.13 R$6.06

19.47%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$20.8K R$111.2K

63.78%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.7K R$174.7K

6.09%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$70.8 R$379

139.62%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$11.71 R$62.6

15.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$19.59 R$105

43.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$24.68 R$132

77.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$23.71 R$127

-27.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.50 R$34.73

6.31%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$273 R$1,460

191.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,926 R$37.0K

31.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$51.2 R$274

65.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$40.88 R$219

41.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$86.8 R$464

55.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$64.4 R$344

52.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$209 R$1,118

477.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$183 R$980

250.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$530 R$2,834

282.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$407 R$2,178

148.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,468 R$7,851

184.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,234 R$6,600

54.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$564 R$3,018

16.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ilheus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ilheus

$183 23.3% 71.4% $458

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ilheus

$204 26% 31.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ilheus

$102 13% 51.7% $109

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ilheus

$99 12.6% 41.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ilheus

$109 13.9% 35.2% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ilheus

$51 6.4% 45.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ilheus

$38 4.8% 34.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $209 in Ilheus. 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 16% 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 in Medellin versus $30 in Ilheus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $204 – making Ilheus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Ilheus

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

178,649

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 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 Ilheus 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ilheus

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 Ilheus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $786 in Ilheus – Ilheus comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,180 in Ilheus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilheus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Ilheus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ilheus, where all-in costs run around $786, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ilheus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ilheus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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