Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sete Lagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sete Lagoas: $633 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Sete Lagoas, Brazil
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Sete Lagoas
🇧🇷 Brazil
$633
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sete Lagoas

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $633 in Sete Lagoas, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Sete Lagoas $633

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,008 in Sete Lagoas, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Sete Lagoas $1,008

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,383 in Sete Lagoas, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Sete Lagoas $1,383

Medellin costs about 167% more than Sete Lagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Sete Lagoas is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$5.70 R$31.26
46.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$21.51 R$118
116.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$5.08 R$27.90
86.42%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$0.58 R$3.18
439.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,728
$0.96 R$5.28
84.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,620
$0.54 R$2.99
162.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$1.11 R$6.08
183.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$1.82 R$9.97
213.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,971
$0.84 R$4.59
82.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,431
$0.67 R$3.68
241.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,308
$1.27 R$6.96
52.76%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,945
$1.63 R$8.94
88.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$5.51 R$30.24
81.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$2.74 R$15.05
281.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$7.23 R$39.66
93.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$0.96 R$5.29
321.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,957
$1.07 R$5.89
42.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,825
$0.55 R$3.01
281.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,439
$0.98 R$5.35
133.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,841
$0.61 R$3.32
245.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,543
$0.54 R$2.95
216.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,795
$0.51 R$2.81
129.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,125
$0.54 R$2.94
192.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$1.52 R$8.36
157.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.6K
$5.73 R$31.47
145.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,714
$0.54 R$2.99
225.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,796
$0.95 R$5.22
185.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,826
$0.91 R$5.01
29.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
$42.45 R$233
79.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,860
$0.39 R$2.13
364.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,906
$0.29 R$1.60
634.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$7.55 R$41.44
7.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,136
$0.92 R$5.03
39.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$12.8K R$70.2K
169.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$22.2K R$121.7K
53.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.4K
$46.49 R$255
282.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$9.39 R$51.5
47.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$17.40 R$95.5
76.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$23.72 R$130
76.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
$26.31 R$144
-36.15%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$3.78 R$20.73
97.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$110 R$601
621.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$2,433 R$13.4K
405.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 280.0K
$9.50 R$52.1
808.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$9.51 R$52.2
523.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.7K
$37.86 R$208
265.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.5K
$36.81 R$202
168.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$334 R$1,831
301.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$231 R$1,266
189.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$641 R$3,518
208.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$457 R$2,510
125.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
$1,598 R$8,768
156.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,159 R$6,361
67.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Sete Lagoas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$414 R$2,271
56.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
10.67
2.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sete Lagoas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Sete Lagoas
$231 65.4% $436
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Sete Lagoas
$124 59.5% $183
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Sete Lagoas
$73 67% $149
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Sete Lagoas
$83 51.9% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Sete Lagoas
$42 75.5% $130
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Sete Lagoas
$48 48.7% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Sete Lagoas
$31 45% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $334 in Sete Lagoas. 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 56% 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 $22 in Sete Lagoas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $124 – making Sete Lagoas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇷 Sete Lagoas
🕒 Local time
03:29 3:29 AM
05:29 5:29 AM
2 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
227,397
💱 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 Sete Lagoas 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Sete Lagoas

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 Sete Lagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sete Lagoas cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 167%, 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 $949 in Sete Lagoas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sete Lagoas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Sete Lagoas?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Sete Lagoas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Sete Lagoas?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $633 in Sete Lagoas. That makes Sete Lagoas about 63% cheaper.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Sete Lagoas?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sete Lagoas, where all-in costs run around $633, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Sete Lagoas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Sete Lagoas more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sete Lagoas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sete Lagoas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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