Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $869 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
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Jacareí Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jacareí

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $869 in Jacareí.

Medellin $1,614
Jacareí $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,385 in Jacareí.

Medellin $2,402
Jacareí $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,900 in Jacareí.

Medellin $3,190
Jacareí $1,900

Living in Medellin is roughly 86% more expensive than in Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$7.15 R$35.96

10.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.9K

$31.77 R$160

45.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$7.06 R$35.48

34.56%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,908

$2.18 R$10.95

42.66%

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

$1.83 COP 5,824

$1.57 R$7.88

16.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,378

$0.92 R$4.64

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,712

$2.67 R$13.42

14.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$2.97 R$14.94

85.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,619

$1.26 R$6.33

15.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,527

$1.86 R$9.35

26.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,351

$1.17 R$5.86

43.59%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,115

$2.44 R$12.26

17.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$9.25 R$46.50

10.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$4.51 R$22.69

111.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$9.63 R$48.39

45.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$2.63 R$13.21

54.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,762

$1.88 R$9.45

-20.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,920

$1.84 R$9.23

17.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,340

$1.87 R$9.41

23.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,139

$1.38 R$6.91

39.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,218

$1.31 R$6.61

25.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$0.99 R$4.97

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,971

$0.76 R$3.81

64.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$2.38 R$11.98

67.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$7.98 R$40.09

67.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,406

$1.66 R$8.35

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,557

$2.95 R$14.84

-19.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,843

$1.04 R$5.24

16.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.5K

$49.52 R$249

54.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,197

$1.28 R$6.43

3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,802

$1.43 R$7.21

49.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$9.44 R$47.46

-10.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,132

$1.26 R$6.32

3.17%

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

$28.0K COP 89.1M

$23.7K R$118.9K

18.29%

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

$35.4K COP 112.8M

$33.3K R$167.3K

6.41%

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

$172 COP 547.9K

$42.87 R$215

301.42%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$12.19 R$61.3

9.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.5K

$22.01 R$111

30.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.1K

$23.26 R$117

94.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$29.25 R$147

-41.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$7.89 R$39.66

-20.41%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$286 R$1,436

169.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$7,746 R$38.9K

16.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.1K

$56.3 R$283

53.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.9K

$37.60 R$189

51.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.7K

$95.7 R$481

42.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.7K

$59.9 R$301

63.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$342 R$1,719

208.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$229 R$1,152

168.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$721 R$3,623

162.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$405 R$2,037

152.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,873 R$9,413

116.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,131 R$5,685

48.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.12

-1.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jacareí: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Jacareí

$229 26.4% 62.8% $387

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Jacareí

$216 24.8% 26.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Jacareí

$77 8.9% 64% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Jacareí

$112 12.9% 34% $58

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Jacareí

$134 15.4% 20.5% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Jacareí

$62 7.2% 33.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Jacareí

$39 4.5% 32.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $342 in Jacareí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $32.00 in Jacareí for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $216 per month, with Jacareí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

240,275

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3,184 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,567 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Jacareí 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 86% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $1,304 in Jacareí to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $342 in Jacareí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $286 in Jacareí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $869 in Jacareí versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jacareí but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jacareí the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jacareí delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $869 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jacareí hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Jacareí gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.