Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Porto Seguro

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Seguro: $737 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Porto Seguro
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Porto Seguro Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Porto Seguro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Porto Seguro

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $737 in Porto Seguro, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Porto Seguro $737

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,242 in Porto Seguro, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Porto Seguro $1,242

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,746 in Porto Seguro, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Porto Seguro $1,746

Medellin costs about 122% more than Porto Seguro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Porto Seguro is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.52 R$29.55

46.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$18.53 R$99.2

153.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.64 R$35.51

43.07%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.10 R$11.24

43.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.10 R$5.87

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.58 R$3.11

143.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.66 R$8.88

91.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.97 R$15.88

93.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.29 R$6.89

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.39 R$7.42

71.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.37 R$7.33

29.20%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.14 R$22.14

-30.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.86 R$47.41

15.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.11 R$21.98

140.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.80 R$41.75

79.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.04 R$10.89

94.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.32 R$7.05

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.09 R$5.82

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.45 R$7.75

50.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.39 R$7.42

41.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.13 R$6.06

40.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.68 R$3.65

69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.32 R$7.06

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.01 R$10.76

97.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.60 R$29.99

144.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.59 R$8.52

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.72 R$14.56

-16.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.15 R$6.15

1.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$42.39 R$227

82.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.24 R$6.64

2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.74 R$3.97

177.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.90 R$36.94

23.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.29 R$6.91

4.65%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.2K R$118.8K

53.46%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$30.9K R$165.5K

12.08%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$48.56 R$260

249.36%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$8.79 R$47.01

54.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$16.06 R$86.0

74.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$22.30 R$119

95.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$28.78 R$154

-40.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.63 R$35.48

4.22%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$235 R$1,259

238.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,727 R$36.0K

35.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$51.4 R$275

64.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$46.88 R$251

23.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$82.0 R$439

64.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$66.0 R$353

48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$254 R$1,360

375.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$157 R$838

309.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$538 R$2,879

276.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$441 R$2,359

129.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,556 R$8,329

167.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,137 R$6,084

68.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$301 R$1,612

118.20%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Porto Seguro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Porto Seguro

$157 21.2% 75.6% $485

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Porto Seguro

$199 26.9% 33.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Porto Seguro

$73 10% 65.3% $138

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Porto Seguro

$110 15% 35% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Porto Seguro

$111 15% 34.4% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Porto Seguro

$52 7.1% 44.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Porto Seguro

$36 4.8% 38.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $254 in Porto Seguro. 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 2.2 times higher, 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 $19 in Porto Seguro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $199 – making Porto Seguro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Porto Seguro

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

168,326

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Porto Seguro 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Porto Seguro

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 Porto Seguro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,106 in Porto Seguro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Porto Seguro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Porto Seguro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $737 in Porto Seguro. That’s a gap of about 122%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Porto Seguro, where all-in costs run around $737, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Porto Seguro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Porto Seguro – 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 Porto Seguro. 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.