Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nova Friburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $608 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
Learn more

Nova Friburgo Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nova Friburgo

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $608 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Nova Friburgo $608

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,017 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Nova Friburgo $1,017

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,426 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Nova Friburgo $1,426

Medellin costs about 167% more than Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Nova Friburgo is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$6.05 R$30.66

37.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$29.82 R$151

57.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.36 R$32.25

45.28%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.75 R$8.88

74.29%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.91 R$4.61

97.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.57 R$2.88

142.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.22 R$6.17

165.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.42 R$12.28

129.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.02 R$5.15

47.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.49 R$7.55

59.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.37 R$6.94

24.09%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.97 R$9.98

50.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.78 R$44.51

16.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.32 R$16.84

193.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.63 R$48.83

44.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.63 R$8.25

153.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.20 R$6.09

27.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.98 R$4.96

126.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.26 R$6.41

80.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.70 R$3.56

184.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.86 R$4.37

94.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.57 R$2.90

107.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.82 R$4.14

51.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.57 R$7.94

146.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.04 R$30.60

128.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.97 R$4.90

71.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.37 R$6.95

75.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.98 R$4.98

26.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.21 R$6.12

5.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.55 R$2.77

290.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$6.71 R$34.02

24.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.28 R$6.50

5.47%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.7K R$99.7K

76.76%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$30.5K R$154.5K

13.79%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$40.04 R$203

316.21%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$9.52 R$48.26

43.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$18.79 R$95.2

54.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$21.63 R$110

108.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.84 R$34.69

1.90%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$142 R$719

457.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$2,604 R$13.2K

247.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$68.6 R$348

28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$83.6 R$424

-30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$67.1 R$340

107.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$47.52 R$241

108.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$156 R$789

560.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$99.8 R$506

520.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$395 R$2,005

375.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$236 R$1,195

327.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,578 R$7,998

152.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$785 R$3,980

116.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$501 R$2,542

32.28%

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 Nova Friburgo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Nova Friburgo

$100 16.4% 83.9% $520

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Nova Friburgo

$171 28.2% 42.5% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Nova Friburgo

$68 11.2% 67.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Nova Friburgo

$120 19.7% 30.5% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Nova Friburgo

$105 17.3% 38.3% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3% 91.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Nova Friburgo

$35 5.8% 40.2% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $156 in Nova Friburgo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $171 – making Nova Friburgo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

189,939

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Nova Friburgo 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nova Friburgo

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 Nova Friburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 167%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $912 in Nova Friburgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nova Friburgo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nova Friburgo, where all-in costs run around $608, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Nova Friburgo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Nova Friburgo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.