Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $969 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$969

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $969 in Joao Pessoa.

Medellin $1,692
Joao Pessoa $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,496 in Joao Pessoa.

Medellin $2,471
Joao Pessoa $1,496

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,023 in Joao Pessoa.

Medellin $3,249
Joao Pessoa $2,023

Living in Medellin is roughly 75% more expensive than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Joao Pessoa is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$6.54 R$35.89

27.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$27.48 R$151

69.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.37 R$40.46

28.49%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.42 R$7.82

120.42%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$0.97 R$5.33

82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.66 R$3.65

115.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.70 R$9.35

85.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.39 R$18.61

68.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.13 R$6.20

35.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.90 R$10.42

20.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.42 R$7.78

36.62%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$1.89 R$10.36

62.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$7.74 R$42.45

29.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.62 R$25.34

126.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$6.85 R$37.61

103.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.95 R$16.20

37.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$0.94 R$5.17

62.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$0.83 R$4.57

153.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.07 R$5.90

114.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$1.51 R$8.27

39.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$1.17 R$6.42

46.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.70 R$3.85

67.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.99 R$5.45

59.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.81 R$15.44

39.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$8.38 R$46.02

67.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.49 R$8.20

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$3.03 R$16.64

-10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.99 R$5.43

19.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$63.2 R$347

20.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.85 R$10.15

-2.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.89 R$10.38

12.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$2.99 R$16.43

171.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.21 R$6.65

5.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$22.0K R$120.5K

56.89%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$30.7K R$168.5K

11.15%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$119 R$654

49.14%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$20.81 R$114

-33.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$21.65 R$119

41.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$35.08 R$193

19.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$27.65 R$152

-39.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$9.70 R$53.2

-22.99%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$400 R$2,194

97.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$6,320 R$34.7K

94.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$50.6 R$278

70.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$62.0 R$340

-4.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$80.9 R$444

71.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$71.6 R$393

38.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$369 R$2,025

263.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$251 R$1,375

166.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$612 R$3,357

222.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$483 R$2,653

113.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,264 R$12.4K

80.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,122 R$6,159

72.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$476 R$2,614

35.66%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Joao Pessoa

$251 25.9% 62.5% $417

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Joao Pessoa

$191 19.7% 37.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Joao Pessoa

$162 16.7% 27.3% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Joao Pessoa

$113 11.7% 34.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Joao Pessoa

$119 12.3% 30.8% $53

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Joao Pessoa

$78 8.1% 16% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Joao Pessoa

$54 5.6% 4.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 36% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $191 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

833,932

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Joao Pessoa 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $969 in Joao Pessoa, so Joao Pessoa is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $400 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $969 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.