Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,058 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,822 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,586 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586

Medellin costs about 53% more than Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sao Caetano do Sul is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$8.89 R$44.68

-10.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.9K

$40.00 R$201

15.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$8.77 R$44.09

8.32%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,908

$2.38 R$11.98

30.67%

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

$1.83 COP 5,824

$1.33 R$6.67

37.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,378

$0.93 R$4.67

48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,712

$2.36 R$11.84

29.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$4.00 R$20.10

37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,619

$1.19 R$5.96

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,527

$2.05 R$10.32

15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,351

$1.44 R$7.24

16.67%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,115

$2.48 R$12.45

15.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$10.70 R$53.8

-4.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$5.43 R$27.31

75.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$10.91 R$54.9

28.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$2.39 R$12.00

70.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,762

$1.72 R$8.66

-12.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,920

$1.55 R$7.77

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,340

$2.08 R$10.45

11.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,139

$1.40 R$7.03

37.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,218

$1.26 R$6.36

30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$0.92 R$4.63

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,971

$0.81 R$4.09

54.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$2.49 R$12.51

60.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$8.97 R$45.07

48.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,406

$1.75 R$8.81

-2.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,557

$2.58 R$12.94

-8.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,843

$0.68 R$3.44

77.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,197

$1.32 R$6.65

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,802

$1.02 R$5.14

109.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$8.86 R$44.55

-4.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,132

$1.34 R$6.73

-2.99%

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

$28.0K COP 89.1M

$24.5K R$123.3K

14.07%

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

$35.4K COP 112.8M

$32.6K R$163.7K

8.71%

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

$172 COP 547.9K

$103 R$518

67.14%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$14.91 R$75.0

-10.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.5K

$22.99 R$116

24.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.1K

$50.3 R$253

-10.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$46.01 R$231

-62.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$10.14 R$51.0

-38.07%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$437 R$2,196

76.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$11.2K R$56.2K

-19.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.1K

$65.3 R$328

32.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.9K

$57.3 R$288

-0.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.7K

$98.3 R$494

38.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.7K

$93.2 R$468

5.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$419 R$2,108

151.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$311 R$1,562

98.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$867 R$4,357

118.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$868 R$4,361

17.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,890 R$9,500

114.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,435 R$7,214

16.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$951 R$4,781

-31.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.81

1.20%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4% 49.5% $305

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8% 21.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3% 34.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4% 16.9% $29

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6% 8.1% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9% 90.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7% 22.2% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul. 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 46% higher in Sao Caetano do Sul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $231 – making Sao Caetano do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

165,655

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3,184 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,567 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sao Caetano do Sul 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,588 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Caetano do Sul, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Sao Caetano do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Caetano do Sul – 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 Sao Caetano do Sul. 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.