Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Recife

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $916 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Recife

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $916 in Recife, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Recife $916

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,513 in Recife, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Recife $1,513

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,111 in Recife, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Recife $2,111

Medellin costs about 79% more than Recife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Recife is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.14 R$27.67

57.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$35.46 R$191

32.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.07 R$48.81

4.74%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.43 R$13.09

23.87%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.98 R$5.29

83.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.55 R$2.97

156.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.47 R$7.93

116.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.96 R$15.95

94.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.35 R$7.25

11.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.50 R$8.08

58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.55 R$8.32

14.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.77 R$9.51

63.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.70 R$36.04

52.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.27 R$22.99

131.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.49 R$40.31

86.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.31 R$7.05

203.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.29 R$6.96

20.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.70 R$3.77

211.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.13 R$6.10

92.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.37 R$7.35

43.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.05 R$5.63

51.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.45 R$2.42

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.82 R$4.42

51.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.62 R$8.73

144.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.45 R$40.12

83.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.09 R$5.88

52.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.41 R$7.60

60.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.83 R$4.45

40.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$37.14 R$200

108.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.18 R$6.33

7.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.67 R$3.61

205.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.26 R$17.55

162.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.22 R$6.54

10.66%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.4K R$115.0K

59.42%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.3K R$173.9K

7.28%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$106 R$573

59.40%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$12.64 R$68.0

7.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$16.28 R$87.6

72.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$20.91 R$113

108.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$32.58 R$175

-47.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.44 R$45.44

-18.13%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$259 R$1,392

207.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.3K R$61.0K

-19.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$42.64 R$229

98.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$47.48 R$256

22.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$71.8 R$386

87.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$76.1 R$410

28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$533 R$2,869

126.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$304 R$1,636

111.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$794 R$4,275

155.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$731 R$3,933

38.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,870 R$10.1K

123.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,099 R$5,913

73.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$395 R$2,123

66.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.75

-6.89%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Recife: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Recife

$304 33.2% 52.6% $337

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Recife

$169 18.5% 42.9% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Recife

$135 14.8% 35.9% $76

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Recife

$117 12.8% 31% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Recife

$107 11.7% 36.6% $62

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Recife

$45 4.9% 51.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Recife

$38 4.1% 34.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $533 in Recife. 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 67% 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 $35 in Recife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $169 – making Recife the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,488,920

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Recife 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 79%, 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 $1,374 in Recife. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Recife, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $533 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Recife. 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 $916 in Recife. That makes Recife about 44% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $916 in Recife. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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