Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sao Carlos Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sao Carlos

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 6.2% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 28.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 2.8% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 16.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 COP 21.9K

$4.58 R$24.62

30.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.40 COP 119.0K

$32.63 R$175

-0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 COP 26.2K

$6.76 R$36.28

5.47%

Cappuccino

$1.65 COP 6,043

$1.84 R$9.89

-10.33%

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

$1.06 COP 3,882

$1.16 R$6.20

-8.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 COP 2,839

$0.69 R$3.71

11.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 COP 6,418

$1.40 R$7.51

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 COP 11.2K

$2.98 R$16.01

2.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 COP 4,026

$1.10 R$5.93

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 COP 4,771

$1.53 R$8.22

-15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 COP 4,905

$2.62 R$14.06

-48.85%

Eggs

$2.26 COP 8,299

$2.30 R$12.37

-1.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.50 COP 16.5K

$9.62 R$51.7

-53.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 COP 21.3K

$4.19 R$22.48

38.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 COP 32.9K

$7.76 R$41.70

15.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 COP 8,691

$2.29 R$12.32

3.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 COP 3,939

$1.45 R$7.77

-26.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 COP 5,418

$1.54 R$8.27

-3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 COP 5,011

$1.96 R$10.53

-30.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 COP 4,135

$1.56 R$8.40

-27.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 4,161

$1.28 R$6.85

-11.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,274

$0.95 R$5.09

-6.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 3,114

$0.71 R$3.83

19.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 COP 8,361

$2.06 R$11.06

10.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 COP 37.3K

$7.86 R$42.20

29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 COP 4,359

$1.27 R$6.81

-6.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 8,828

$2.46 R$13.23

-2.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 COP 3,074

$0.94 R$5.02

-10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.85 COP 150.0K

$21.99 R$118

85.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 COP 5,417

$1.33 R$7.12

11.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 COP 6,949

$0.95 R$5.13

98.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.05 COP 29.5K

$3.20 R$17.20

151.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 COP 3,455

$0.99 R$5.32

-5.05%

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

$17.7K COP 65.1M

$28.7K R$154.2K

-38.21%

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

$26.4K COP 96.8M

$28.9K R$155.1K

-8.76%

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

$81.9 COP 300.7K

$70.4 R$378

16.29%

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

$9.54 COP 35.0K

$14.91 R$80.1

-36.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.68 COP 87.0K

$18.51 R$99.4

27.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.85 COP 94.9K

$20.53 R$110

25.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 COP 68.7K

$40.20 R$216

-53.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.05 COP 14.9K

$4.34 R$23.28

-6.68%

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

$316 COP 1.2M

$305 R$1,639

3.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,971 COP 21.9M

$2,755 R$14.8K

116.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 COP 216.4K

$45.60 R$245

29.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.49 COP 119.3K

$37.58 R$202

-13.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 COP 366.7K

$101 R$545

-1.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 394.9K

$91.1 R$489

18.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 COP 1.8M

$223 R$1,195

120.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 COP 1.4M

$220 R$1,184

68.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 COP 3.0M

$445 R$2,389

84.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 COP 2.7M

$473 R$2,540

54.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,019 COP 11.1M

$695 R$3,732

334.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 COP 4.9M

$849 R$4,559

56.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 COP 1.9M

$631 R$3,390

-18.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

10.67

25.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: January 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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