Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Salto, Brazil

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $764 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Salto, Brazil
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Salto
🇧🇷 Brazil
$764
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Salto

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $764 in Salto, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Salto $764

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,189 in Salto, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Salto $1,189

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,615 in Salto, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Salto $1,615

Medellin costs about 121% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Salto is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Salto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$6.35 R$34.82
31.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$26.03 R$143
78.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$6.17 R$33.88
53.48%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$1.78 R$9.77
75.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,728
$0.99 R$5.45
78.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,620
$0.73 R$3.98
94.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$2.46 R$13.52
28.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$2.69 R$14.77
111.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Salto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,971
$0.94 R$5.17
62.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,431
$1.59 R$8.73
44.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,308
$1.09 R$6.00
77.98%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,945
$2.56 R$14.02
19.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$8.11 R$44.53
23.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$3.52 R$19.31
196.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$9.11 R$49.97
53.24%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.63 R$14.46
53.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,957
$1.75 R$9.59
-12.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,825
$1.64 R$8.99
28.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,439
$1.67 R$9.15
37.13%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,841
$1.26 R$6.89
67.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,543
$1.31 R$7.21
30.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,795
$0.87 R$4.78
34.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,125
$0.48 R$2.61
229.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$2.43 R$13.32
60.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.6K
$8.45 R$46.35
66.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,714
$1.57 R$8.64
12.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,796
$4.04 R$22.19
-32.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Salto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,826
$0.80 R$4.37
47.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,860
$1.06 R$5.79
70.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,906
$1.21 R$6.66
76.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$6.56 R$35.99
23.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,136
$1.06 R$5.79
20.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$21.7K R$119.1K
58.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$31.9K R$174.9K
7.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Salto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.4K
$37.16 R$204
378.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$9.46 R$51.9
46.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$17.66 R$96.9
74.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Salto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$24.27 R$133
72.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$2.79 R$15.29
167.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Salto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$239 R$1,311
230.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$7,151 R$39.2K
71.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Salto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 280.0K
$51.7 R$284
67.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$54.8 R$301
8.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.7K
$89.7 R$492
54.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.5K
$77.5 R$425
27.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Salto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$225 R$1,235
196.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$551 R$3,027
258.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$374 R$2,051
176.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Salto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
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 Salto: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Salto
$225 66.3% $442
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Salto
$196 36.2% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Salto
$64 71.1% $158
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Salto
$115 33.2% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Salto
$123 28.5% $49
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Salto
$10 * 89% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Salto
$30 47.5% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $26 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $196 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇷 Salto
🕒 Local time
06:36 6:36 AM
08:36 8:36 AM
2 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
134,319
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Salto 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Salto

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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Salto cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,146 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Salto?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $26 in Salto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Salto?
Groceries cost about 57% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Salto?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Salto?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $764 in Salto to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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