Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Joinville

For one person, living is cheaper in Joinville: $976 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Joinville
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Joinville Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Joinville

🇧🇷 Brazil

$976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Joinville

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $976 in Joinville, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Joinville $976

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,496 in Joinville, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Joinville $1,496

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,016 in Joinville, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Joinville $2,016

Medellin costs about 68% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Joinville is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$7.73 R$41.57

4.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 149.1K

$46.97 R$253

0.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.59 R$35.45

44.16%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,554

$1.85 R$9.96

62.70%

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

$1.80 COP 5,701

$1.04 R$5.59

73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,476

$0.46 R$2.47

206.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.1K

$3.24 R$17.45

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.25 R$12.13

155.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,785

$0.95 R$5.09

58.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,535

$1.22 R$6.58

95.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,613

$0.97 R$5.19

82.47%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,159

$2.74 R$14.72

5.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$7.89 R$42.45

29.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$3.07 R$16.50

221.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$6.22 R$33.45

124.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.71 R$9.20

132.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,918

$1.09 R$5.86

42.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,917

$1.32 R$7.09

65.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,920

$1.61 R$8.65

35.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,219

$1.19 R$6.38

64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,037

$1.18 R$6.35

34.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,630

$1.41 R$7.60

-18.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,939

$0.92 R$4.97

34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.6K

$3.03 R$16.32

30.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.4K

$8.64 R$46.50

58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,259

$1.03 R$5.54

61.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,155

$2.89 R$15.55

-21.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,701

$1.25 R$6.70

-6.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 245.2K

$56.0 R$301

38.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,018

$1.87 R$10.09

-32.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,489

$1.45 R$7.79

41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$9.51 R$51.2

-10.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,268

$1.23 R$6.63

9.76%

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

$34.1K COP 108.0M

$22.0K R$118.5K

54.67%

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

$34.7K COP 109.9M

$32.0K R$172.0K

8.49%

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

$170 COP 537.6K

$55.6 R$299

205.29%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$10.78 R$58.0

25.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.9K

$19.35 R$104

45.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.5K

$25.09 R$135

74.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.5K

$26.31 R$142

-34.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$8.03 R$43.19

-13.95%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$294 R$1,584

170.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.9M

$6,147 R$33.1K

48.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.4K

$43.66 R$235

94.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.7K

$85.2 R$459

-31.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.6K

$85.6 R$461

57.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.1K

$64.8 R$349

51.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$383 R$2,062

215.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$349 R$1,879

83.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$997 R$5,366

103.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$500 R$2,689

102.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$1,845 R$9,931

125.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.1M

$1,261 R$6,788

51.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$655 R$3,522

0.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.5

4.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Joinville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Joinville

$349 35.8% 45.6% $292

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Joinville

$173 17.8% 41.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Joinville

$86 8.8% 59.4% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Joinville

$131 13.4% 23.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Joinville

$126 12.9% 25.6% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Joinville

$70 7.2% 25.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Joinville

$41 4.2% 28.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $383 in Joinville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $47 in Joinville. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $173 in Joinville – so Joinville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Joinville

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

10:43 10:43 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

616,317

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.82 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 October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3,169 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,545 COP (10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Joinville 4,630 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Joinville

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 Joinville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 68% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,463 in Joinville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Joinville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $383 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $976 in Joinville. That makes Joinville about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $294 in Joinville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $976 in Joinville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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