Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Itajai

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $937 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
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Itajai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Itajai

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $937 in Itajai, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Itajai $937

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,142 in Itajai, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Itajai $1,142

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,347 in Itajai, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Itajai $1,347

Medellin costs about 75% more than Itajai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Itajai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.57 R$30.28

45.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$36.95 R$201

27.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.17 R$44.45

16.28%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.26 R$12.31

33.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.07 R$5.82

68.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.84 R$4.56

67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.54 R$13.83

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.80 R$15.24

105.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$0.93 R$5.08

62.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.51 R$8.20

57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$0.89 R$4.85

98.88%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.94 R$10.53

48.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.10 R$49.50

11.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.25 R$23.10

132.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.34 R$39.93

90.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.70 R$9.22

133.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$0.93 R$5.08

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$0.98 R$5.35

122.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.26 R$6.87

73.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.75 R$4.06

161.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.58 R$3.13

174.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.74 R$4.04

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.76 R$4.13

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.76 R$15.01

43.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.68 R$36.34

104.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.76 R$4.16

118.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.78 R$9.66

26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.82 R$4.43

42.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.23 R$6.67

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.73 R$3.95

180.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.59 R$30.37

52.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.24 R$6.76

8.87%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.2K R$120.9K

53.20%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.0K R$174.0K

8.32%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$98.6 R$536

72.02%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$10.42 R$56.6

30.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$21.39 R$116

31.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$25.46 R$138

71.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.28 R$39.56

-5.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$257 R$1,396

210.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,861 R$26.4K

87.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$68.6 R$373

23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$66.9 R$364

-13.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$88.2 R$480

52.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$76.4 R$415

28.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$470 R$2,556

156.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$334 R$1,815

92.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,295 R$7,041

56.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,127 R$11.6K

96.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$591 R$3,213

11.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.68

2.43%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Itajai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Itajai

$334 35.7% 48% $308

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Itajai

$167 17.8% 43.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Itajai

$130 13.9% 38.3% $81

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Itajai

$122 13.1% 27.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Itajai

$135 14.4% 20.1% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Itajai

$8.1 * 0.9% 91.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Itajai

$40 4.3% 30.4% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $470 in Itajai. 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 11% 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 $37 in Itajai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $167 – making Itajai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Itajai

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

264,054

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Itajai 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Itajai

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 Itajai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $937 in Itajai – Itajai comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,405 in Itajai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itajai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $470 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $937 in Itajai. That makes Itajai about 43% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $257 in Itajai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Itajai, where all-in costs run around $937, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Itajai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Itajai – 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 Itajai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.