Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $851 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $851 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Medellin $1,614
Maceio - Alagoas $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,333 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Medellin $2,402
Maceio - Alagoas $1,333

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,815 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Medellin $3,190
Maceio - Alagoas $1,815

Living in Medellin is roughly 90% more expensive than in Maceio - Alagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Maceio - Alagoas is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$5.92 R$30.02

33.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$29.81 R$151

54.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.87 R$29.75

61.84%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.77 R$8.97

75.71%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.09 R$5.50

67.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.48 R$2.46

187.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.64 R$8.30

85.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.18 R$21.20

31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.11 R$5.62

30.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.07 R$10.51

14.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.06 R$5.36

58.49%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.94 R$9.86

47.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$9.54 R$48.35

6.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.52 R$22.91

110.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.66 R$38.83

83.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.86 R$14.48

42.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.13 R$5.71

32.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.38 R$6.99

57.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.35 R$6.87

71.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.42 R$7.20

35.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.32 R$6.70

24.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.58 R$2.94

94.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.84 R$4.24

48.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.09 R$10.61

90.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.96 R$35.27

91.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.61 R$8.16

5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.45 R$7.36

63.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.79 R$4.00

53.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.39 R$1.96

238.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.42 R$2.12

409.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.28 R$6.50

1.56%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.7K R$110.2K

28.75%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$31.4K R$159.0K

12.91%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$81.5 R$413

111.23%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$16.69 R$84.6

-19.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$17.82 R$90.3

61.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$24.34 R$123

85.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.98 R$30.32

5.02%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$219 R$1,111

251.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$7,075 R$35.9K

27.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$55.5 R$281

55.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$78.3 R$397

-27.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$94.0 R$476

45.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$79.2 R$401

23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$295 R$1,493

258.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$250 R$1,269

145.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$500 R$2,535

278.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$474 R$2,401

115.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,507 R$7,638

169.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$698 R$3,538

140.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$601 R$3,045

8.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.17

7.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Maceio - Alagoas

$250 29.4% 59.3% $365

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$195 23% 33.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$116 13.6% 45.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Maceio - Alagoas

$138 16.2% 18.8% $32

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Maceio - Alagoas

$109 12.8% 35.2% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.6 * 0.7% 94% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Maceio - Alagoas

$36 4.3% 37.2% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $295 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 9% 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $30.00 in Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $195 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

23:29 11:29 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,031,597

💱 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 Maceio - Alagoas 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maceio - Alagoas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $295 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $851 in Maceio - Alagoas – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $851 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maceio - Alagoas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Maceio - Alagoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.