Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,625 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 Macaé
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Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Macaé

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $887 in Macaé.

Medellin $1,625
Macaé $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,495 in Macaé.

Medellin $2,412
Macaé $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,102 in Macaé.

Medellin $3,199
Macaé $2,102

Living in Medellin is roughly 83% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Macaé is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$5.43 R$27.54

52.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$29.78 R$151

57.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.91 R$35.00

33.72%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.72 R$8.73

77.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.39 R$7.04

29.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.63 R$3.18

119.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.21 R$6.16

167.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.79 R$14.16

99.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.96 R$4.85

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.56 R$7.91

51.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.38 R$6.99

23.19%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.94 R$9.85

52.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.12 R$46.21

12.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.34 R$16.92

191.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.69 R$49.10

43.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.86 R$9.40

122.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.20 R$6.11

27.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.96 R$4.85

131.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.23 R$6.21

84.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.64 R$3.23

210.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.81 R$4.09

106.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.54 R$2.73

118.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.52 R$2.64

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.56 R$7.88

148.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.09 R$30.86

126.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.95 R$4.82

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.25 R$6.35

92.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.61 R$8.16

-22.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$83.9 R$425

-6.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.41 R$7.14

-9.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.79 R$4.03

172.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.92 R$40.16

5.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.29 R$6.53

4.65%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.5K R$109.0K

61.65%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$31.2K R$158.2K

11.17%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$100.0 R$507

66.73%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$10.21 R$51.7

33.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$18.76 R$95.1

55.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$39.82 R$202

13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$34.04 R$173

-49.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.79 R$34.44

2.65%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$648 R$3,283

22.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$7,012 R$35.5K

28.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$63.1 R$320

39.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$32.02 R$162

81.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$66.9 R$339

107.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$46.66 R$237

111.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$370 R$1,873

178.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$241 R$1,221

157.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$886 R$4,490

112.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$669 R$3,392

50.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,270 R$6,436

214.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$800 R$4,054

112.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$799 R$4,049

-16.95%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Macaé

$241 27.2% 61.1% $379

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Macaé

$169 19.1% 43.1% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 38.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Macaé

$94 10.6% 45.6% $79

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Macaé

$105 11.8% 38.8% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Macaé

$53 6% 9.5% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $370 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $169 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

246,391

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Macaé 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Macaé differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $887 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Macaé. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $370 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $887 in Macaé – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.