Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Juiz de Fora

For one person, living is cheaper in Juiz de Fora: $714 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Juiz de Fora
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Juiz de Fora Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Juiz de Fora

🇧🇷 Brazil

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Juiz de Fora

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 Juiz de Fora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $714 in Juiz de Fora.

Medellin $1,639
Juiz de Fora $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,128 in Juiz de Fora.

Medellin $2,413
Juiz de Fora $1,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,543 in Juiz de Fora.

Medellin $3,186
Juiz de Fora $1,543

Living in Medellin is roughly 130% more expensive than in Juiz de Fora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Juiz de Fora is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.42 R$29.47

49.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$28.21 R$153

66.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$6.56 R$35.70

44.82%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.62 R$8.81

85.80%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.33 R$7.22

35.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.59 R$3.19

138.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.13 R$6.17

181.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.25 R$12.23

155.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.94 R$5.11

60.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.47 R$7.98

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.33 R$7.23

33.08%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.87 R$10.18

54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.33 R$45.34

22.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.29 R$17.87

200.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.92 R$48.52

56.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.72 R$9.35

130.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.08 R$5.87

43.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.91 R$4.97

139.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.13 R$6.15

92.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.65 R$3.54

201.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.77 R$4.16

106.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.49 R$2.67

134.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.77 R$4.22

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.51 R$8.22

162.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$5.60 R$30.47

144.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.95 R$5.18

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.27 R$6.90

77.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.67 R$3.63

74.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$30.78 R$167

151.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.28 R$6.94

-0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.68 R$3.72

201.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.57 R$41.20

12.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.24 R$6.75

8.87%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.8K R$107.6K

72.23%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$29.2K R$158.9K

18.67%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$55.7 R$303

204.69%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.43 R$51.3

43.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$17.95 R$97.6

56.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$22.72 R$124

92.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$26.06 R$142

-34.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.05 R$32.92

14.21%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$135 R$736

488.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,493 R$13.6K

265.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$65.2 R$355

29.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$77.6 R$422

-25.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$63.6 R$346

112.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$45.33 R$247

115.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$289 R$1,570

318.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$182 R$991

252.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$496 R$2,698

308.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$308 R$1,678

228.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$930 R$5,061

348.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$565 R$3,074

238.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$434 R$2,360

51.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.67

2.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Juiz de Fora: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Juiz de Fora

$182 25.5% 71.6% $459

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Juiz de Fora

$163 22.8% 45.2% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Juiz de Fora

$83 11.6% 60.7% $128

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Juiz de Fora

$100 14% 40.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Juiz de Fora

$113 15.9% 33% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Juiz de Fora

$38 5.3% 59.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Juiz de Fora

$35 4.9% 39.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $289 in Juiz de Fora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 51% 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 $28 in Juiz de Fora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $163 per month, with Juiz de Fora cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Juiz de Fora

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

540,756

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 1, 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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Between locations

Medellin Juiz de Fora 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Juiz de Fora

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 Juiz de Fora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Juiz de Fora wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Juiz de Fora the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 51% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $289 in Juiz de Fora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Juiz de Fora – a meal for two runs $28 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $714 in Juiz de Fora – Juiz de Fora is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $714 in Juiz de Fora versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Juiz de Fora but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Juiz de Fora 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 Juiz de Fora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.