Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Petrolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $736 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
Learn more

Petrolina Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Petrolina

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $736 in Petrolina, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Petrolina $736

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,155 in Petrolina, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Petrolina $1,155

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,574 in Petrolina, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Petrolina $1,574

Medellin costs about 130% more than Petrolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Petrolina is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.42 R$29.74

53.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$29.35 R$161

58.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.30 R$40.07

29.73%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.86 R$10.20

68.28%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.23 R$6.75

43.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.70 R$3.85

102.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.81 R$9.94

74.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.85 R$15.65

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.04 R$5.71

47.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$0.85 R$4.66

169.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.11 R$6.06

74.77%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$1.54 R$8.47

99.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.60 R$47.17

16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.48 R$19.10

200.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.45 R$40.90

87.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.26 R$12.39

79.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$0.84 R$4.62

82.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.07 R$5.89

96.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.44 R$7.92

59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.12 R$6.16

88.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$0.73 R$3.99

134.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.72 R$3.93

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.45 R$2.45

251.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.34 R$12.81

67.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$6.48 R$35.56

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.23 R$6.78

43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$1.95 R$10.68

38.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$1.00 R$5.48

18.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$42.15 R$231

81.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.23 R$6.76

47.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.86 R$4.72

147.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$7.43 R$40.75

9.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.23 R$6.77

4.07%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$19.5K R$107.0K

76.54%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$24.6K R$134.9K

38.85%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$62.7 R$344

183.69%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$8.18 R$44.86

69.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$11.37 R$62.4

170.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$17.51 R$96.1

139.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$25.72 R$141

-34.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.76 R$20.63

98.67%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$226 R$1,241

249.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,623 R$36.3K

85.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$18.43 R$101

368.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$46.58 R$256

27.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$50.9 R$279

171.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$78.2 R$429

26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$256 R$1,405

423.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$221 R$1,213

201.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$556 R$3,048

255.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$379 R$2,081

172.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,587 R$8,710

158.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,139 R$6,248

70.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$558 R$3,061

15.84%

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 Petrolina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Petrolina

$221 30% 66.9% $446

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Petrolina

$159 21.6% 48.3% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Petrolina

$82 11.2% 63% $140

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Petrolina

$110 15% 36.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Petrolina

$87 11.9% 49.3% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Petrolina

$52 7% 44.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Petrolina

$25 3.4% 56% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $256 in Petrolina. 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 16% 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 in Medellin versus $29 in Petrolina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $159 – making Petrolina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

386,791

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Petrolina 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Petrolina

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 Petrolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 130%, 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 $1,104 in Petrolina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Petrolina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Petrolina. 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 $736 in Petrolina. That makes Petrolina about 56% cheaper.

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