Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Itajubá, MG

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajubá, MG: $865 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Itajubá, MG
Learn more

Itajubá, MG Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Itajubá, MG

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $865 in Itajubá, MG.

Medellin $1,639
Itajubá, MG $865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,275 in Itajubá, MG.

Medellin $2,413
Itajubá, MG $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,685 in Itajubá, MG.

Medellin $3,186
Itajubá, MG $1,685

Living in Medellin is roughly 89% more expensive than in Itajubá, MG, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Itajubá, MG is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.51 R$24.28

79.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$23.39 R$126

101.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.58 R$24.67

107.42%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.23 R$6.63

144.72%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.15 R$6.16

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.64 R$3.47

120.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.82 R$9.79

74.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.01 R$16.20

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.03 R$5.53

46.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.61 R$8.65

47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.96 R$5.14

84.38%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.24 R$12.07

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.71 R$57.6

-4.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.63 R$19.56

171.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.46 R$40.13

87.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.86 R$15.38

38.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.56 R$8.42

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.03 R$5.56

111.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.85 R$9.95

17.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.06 R$5.72

84.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.05 R$5.68

51.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.67 R$3.60

71.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.64 R$3.46

93.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.01 R$16.20

31.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.95 R$42.80

72.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.17 R$6.31

41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.62 R$8.72

39.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.98 R$5.27

19.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$44.56 R$240

73.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.20 R$6.46

5.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.89 R$4.81

130.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.93 R$48.07

-4.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.11 R$5.99

21.62%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$23.2K R$124.6K

47.14%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$33.3K R$179.2K

4.10%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$131 R$704

29.75%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$10.89 R$58.6

24.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.75 R$101

49.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$15.47 R$83.3

182.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$27.22 R$146

-36.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.92 R$42.60

-12.75%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$586 R$3,152

36.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.2K R$71.1K

-31.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$41.57 R$224

103.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$48.41 R$261

19.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$73.4 R$395

83.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$66.8 R$359

46.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$350 R$1,885

244.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$239 R$1,288

168.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$525 R$2,828

285.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$357 R$1,921

183.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,670 R$8,987

149.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,165 R$6,268

64.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$298 R$1,602

120.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.93

-8.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Itajubá, MG: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Itajubá, MG

$239 27.7% 62.7% $402

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Itajubá, MG

$190 21.9% 36.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Itajubá, MG

$160 18.5% 24.1% $51

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Itajubá, MG

$87 10% 48.8% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Itajubá, MG

$104 12% 38.7% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Itajubá, MG

$54 6.3% 42.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Itajubá, MG

$31 3.6% 45.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $350 in Itajubá, MG. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Itajubá, MG for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $190 per month, with Itajubá, MG cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Itajubá, MG

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

93,073

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Itajubá, MG 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Itajubá, MG

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 Itajubá, MG: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $865 in Itajubá, MG, so Itajubá, MG is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.2 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $350 in Itajubá, MG. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $586 in Itajubá, MG. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $865 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Itajubá, MG but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Itajubá, MG 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 Itajubá, MG gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.