Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and São Gabriel

For one person, living is cheaper in São Gabriel: $794 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in São Gabriel
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São Gabriel Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

São Gabriel

🇧🇷 Brazil

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in São Gabriel

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $794 in São Gabriel, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
São Gabriel $794

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,286 in São Gabriel, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
São Gabriel $1,286

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,778 in São Gabriel, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
São Gabriel $1,778

Medellin costs about 113% more than São Gabriel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while São Gabriel is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.31 R$29.00

57.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$37.51 R$205

24.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$6.49 R$35.44

45.92%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.14 R$6.21

174.56%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.25 R$6.85

41.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.95 R$5.17

49.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.34 R$7.30

135.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.74 R$14.94

108.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.87 R$4.74

75.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.52 R$8.29

50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.00 R$5.49

94.00%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.37 R$7.47

124.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$9.72 R$53.1

2.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.53 R$24.76

130.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.46 R$51.7

47.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.10 R$5.98

268.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.36 R$7.40

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$0.91 R$4.94

130.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$0.75 R$4.11

205.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.09 R$5.96

93.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.71 R$3.89

140.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.81 R$4.40

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.80 R$4.38

97.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$1.62 R$8.85

141.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$3.73 R$20.38

276.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.09 R$5.93

61.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.52 R$8.33

78.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.98 R$5.37

20.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$42.35 R$231

80.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.23 R$6.69

47.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.79 R$4.31

169.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$7.61 R$41.57

6.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.18 R$6.46

8.47%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.9K R$119.4K

57.54%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$32.6K R$178.2K

4.62%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$71.1 R$388

149.97%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$11.48 R$62.7

20.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$20.40 R$111

50.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$24.33 R$133

72.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$26.06 R$142

-35.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.76 R$36.91

10.50%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$258 R$1,409

206.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,831 R$37.3K

80.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$47.23 R$258

82.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$24.12 R$132

145.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$96.9 R$529

42.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$74.8 R$409

32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$330 R$1,802

306.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$227 R$1,241

193.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$631 R$3,446

213.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$446 R$2,433

131.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,588 R$8,673

158.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,130 R$6,171

71.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.5

-4.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for São Gabriel: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

São Gabriel

$227 28.6% 65.9% $440

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

São Gabriel

$168 21.2% 45.3% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

São Gabriel

$103 13% 53.7% $119

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

São Gabriel

$97 12.2% 44.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

São Gabriel

$109 13.8% 36.5% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

São Gabriel

$51 6.5% 44.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

São Gabriel

$38 4.8% 33.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $330 in São Gabriel. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in São Gabriel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $168 – making São Gabriel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 São Gabriel

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

13:42 1:42 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

58,487

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin São Gabriel 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
São Gabriel

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 São Gabriel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,190 in São Gabriel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in São Gabriel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in São Gabriel. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $794 in São Gabriel. That makes São Gabriel about 53% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in São Gabriel, where all-in costs run around $794, than in Medellin at $1,692. In São Gabriel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward São Gabriel – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, São Gabriel is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.