Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sao Vicente

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Vicente: $824 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Vicente
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Sao Vicente Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sao Vicente

🇧🇷 Brazil

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sao Vicente

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $824 in Sao Vicente, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sao Vicente $824

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,374 in Sao Vicente, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sao Vicente $1,374

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,925 in Sao Vicente, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sao Vicente $1,925

Medellin costs about 99% more than Sao Vicente, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sao Vicente is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.66 R$40.94

5.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$33.75 R$180

39.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.67 R$35.68

42.43%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.22 R$11.88

35.59%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.25 R$6.69

44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.89 R$4.75

58.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.29 R$12.23

38.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.85 R$15.26

101.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.04 R$5.57

45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.83 R$9.80

30.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.24 R$6.63

42.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.34 R$12.53

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.26 R$60.2

-9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.47 R$23.89

120.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.04 R$48.32

54.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.97 R$10.55

101.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.26 R$6.75

23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.40 R$7.47

55.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.39 R$7.43

56.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.17 R$6.27

67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.27 R$6.80

25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.86 R$4.58

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.90 R$4.82

37.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.18 R$11.66

81.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.46 R$39.89

83.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.42 R$7.57

16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.35 R$12.57

-3.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.01 R$5.38

15.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$41.70 R$223

85.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.09 R$5.81

16.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.71 R$3.81

188.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$12.78 R$68.3

-33.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.25 R$6.67

8.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$21.5K R$115.1K

58.24%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$30.9K R$165.3K

12.15%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$60.8 R$325

179.21%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$13.67 R$73.1

-0.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$21.14 R$113

32.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$18.47 R$98.8

136.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$23.16 R$124

-25.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.61 R$40.67

-9.20%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$260 R$1,392

205.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,638 R$51.5K

-5.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$51.2 R$274

65.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$34.61 R$185

67.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$82.6 R$442

63.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$57.2 R$306

71.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$261 R$1,394

363.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$206 R$1,101

211.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$792 R$4,235

155.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$493 R$2,636

105.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,600 R$8,557

160.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,129 R$6,037

69.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$371 R$1,982

77.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.21

-2.41%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sao Vicente: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sao Vicente

$206 25% 67.9% $436

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sao Vicente

$203 24.7% 31.5% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sao Vicente

$96 11.6% 54.8% $116

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sao Vicente

$134 16.2% 21.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sao Vicente

$102 12.3% 39.9% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sao Vicente

$50 6.1% 46.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sao Vicente

$34 4.1% 41.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $261 in Sao Vicente. 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 77% 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 $34 in Sao Vicente. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $203 – making Sao Vicente the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Sao Vicente

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

329,911

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sao Vicente 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sao Vicente

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 Vicente: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 99%, 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 $1,236 in Sao Vicente. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Vicente, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $261 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in Sao Vicente. 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 $824 in Sao Vicente. That makes Sao Vicente about 50% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sao Vicente, where all-in costs run around $824, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sao Vicente it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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