Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Paulo Afonso

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulo Afonso: $823 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Paulo Afonso
Learn more

Paulo Afonso Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Paulo Afonso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Paulo Afonso

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $823 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Paulo Afonso $823

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,313 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Paulo Afonso $1,313

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,804 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Paulo Afonso $1,804

Medellin costs about 106% more than Paulo Afonso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Paulo Afonso is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.61 R$30.62

48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$30.09 R$164

54.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.32 R$39.98

29.37%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.84 R$10.03

70.11%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.19 R$6.48

48.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.71 R$3.85

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.89 R$10.34

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.77 R$15.11

105.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.94 R$5.11

62.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.59 R$8.70

44.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.16 R$6.35

67.24%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.06 R$11.27

49.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.75 R$47.79

14.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.95 R$21.60

164.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.76 R$42.39

79.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.05 R$11.21

97.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.19 R$6.50

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.13 R$6.17

85.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.46 R$7.98

56.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.12 R$6.11

88.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.00 R$5.44

71.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.73 R$3.96

60.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.78 R$4.24

102.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.27 R$12.41

72.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.31 R$39.89

92.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.17 R$6.40

50.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.99 R$10.84

36.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.98 R$5.33

20.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$41.38 R$226

84.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.24 R$6.76

45.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.78 R$4.28

173.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$7.58 R$41.37

7.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.16 R$6.35

10.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$22.2K R$121.2K

55.10%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$31.7K R$172.9K

7.82%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$72.3 R$395

145.75%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$11.46 R$62.6

21.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$19.41 R$106

58.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$24.60 R$134

70.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$25.69 R$140

-34.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.59 R$36.01

13.35%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$263 R$1,435

200.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,731 R$36.8K

82.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$51.1 R$279

68.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$45.74 R$250

29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$84.7 R$463

63.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$66.1 R$361

49.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$338 R$1,844

297.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$230 R$1,255

190.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$629 R$3,435

214.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$457 R$2,497

125.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,562 R$8,528

162.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,155 R$6,308

67.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Paulo Afonso: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Paulo Afonso

$230 27.9% 65.5% $437

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Paulo Afonso

$179 21.7% 41.8% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Paulo Afonso

$103 12.5% 53.6% $119

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Paulo Afonso

$111 13.5% 35.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Paulo Afonso

$111 13.5% 35.3% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Paulo Afonso

$50 6.1% 46% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Paulo Afonso

$38 4.6% 33.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $338 in Paulo Afonso. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $30 in Paulo Afonso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $179 – making Paulo Afonso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Paulo Afonso

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

112,870

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Paulo Afonso 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Paulo Afonso

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 Paulo Afonso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 106%, 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 $1,234 in Paulo Afonso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paulo Afonso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $338 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Paulo Afonso. 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 $823 in Paulo Afonso. That makes Paulo Afonso about 51% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $823 in Paulo Afonso. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Paulo Afonso is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.