Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nova Iguacu

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Iguacu: $694 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Nova Iguacu
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Nova Iguacu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Nova Iguacu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $694 in Nova Iguacu, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Nova Iguacu $694

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,129 in Nova Iguacu, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Nova Iguacu $1,129

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,563 in Nova Iguacu, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Nova Iguacu $1,563

Medellin costs about 144% more than Nova Iguacu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Nova Iguacu is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$3.37 R$18.48

147.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$28.00 R$154

66.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.06 R$38.72

34.14%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.79 R$9.82

74.86%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.08 R$5.94

63.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.50 R$2.74

184.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.52 R$8.32

107.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.43 R$7.86

298.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.12 R$6.16

36.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.43 R$7.86

60.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.10 R$6.05

76.36%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$1.87 R$10.28

64.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$7.49 R$41.11

33.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$2.66 R$14.59

292.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$6.52 R$35.79

114.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.26 R$6.92

221.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.27 R$6.97

20.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$0.90 R$4.95

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.65 R$9.03

38.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$0.95 R$5.24

122.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$0.94 R$5.13

81.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.39 R$2.12

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.38 R$2.11

315.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.78 R$9.78

119.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$5.48 R$30.07

156.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$0.90 R$4.96

95.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.25 R$6.88

116.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$1.36 R$7.48

-13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$46.09 R$253

65.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.05 R$5.78

72.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.22 R$6.70

74.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$6.80 R$37.32

19.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.09 R$5.99

17.43%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$22.3K R$122.2K

54.65%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$31.2K R$171.1K

9.46%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$45.05 R$247

294.52%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$11.18 R$61.4

24.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$17.16 R$94.2

79.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$22.13 R$121

89.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$36.33 R$199

-53.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$5.59 R$30.69

33.63%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$67.8 R$372

1064.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$1,799 R$9,871

583.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$50.3 R$276

71.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$34.70 R$190

70.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$60.0 R$329

130.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$56.1 R$308

76.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$304 R$1,668

341.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$204 R$1,122

226.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$592 R$3,248

233.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$406 R$2,226

154.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$884 R$4,851

363.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$222 R$1,218

191.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.12

-1.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nova Iguacu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Nova Iguacu

$204 29.5% 69.3% $463

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Nova Iguacu

$147 21.2% 52% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Nova Iguacu

$73 10.6% 67% $149

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Nova Iguacu

$86 12.4% 50% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Nova Iguacu

$90 13% 47.5% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Nova Iguacu

$59 8.5% 37.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Nova Iguacu

$33 4.8% 41.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $304 in Nova Iguacu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $28 in Nova Iguacu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $147 – making Nova Iguacu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Nova Iguacu

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

785,867

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Nova Iguacu 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nova Iguacu

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 Iguacu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,041 in Nova Iguacu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nova Iguacu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $304 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $28 in Nova Iguacu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $694 in Nova Iguacu. That makes Nova Iguacu about 59% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nova Iguacu, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Nova Iguacu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nova Iguacu – 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 Iguacu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.