Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Taubate

For one person, living is cheaper in Taubate: $852 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Taubate
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Taubate Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Taubate

🇧🇷 Brazil

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Taubate

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $852 in Taubate, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Taubate $852

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,351 in Taubate, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Taubate $1,351

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,849 in Taubate, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Taubate $1,849

Medellin costs about 89% more than Taubate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Taubate is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$7.07 R$35.85

12.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$37.35 R$189

23.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.31 R$42.14

14.32%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.18 R$11.04

42.66%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.30 R$6.60

40.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.77 R$3.91

79.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.34 R$11.87

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.04 R$15.42

80.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.06 R$5.35

36.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.14 R$10.86

10.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.28 R$6.49

31.25%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.40 R$12.16

19.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.81 R$54.8

-5.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.44 R$22.51

114.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.79 R$39.50

80.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.12 R$10.75

91.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.74 R$8.84

-13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.43 R$7.23

51.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.85 R$9.39

24.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.27 R$6.42

51.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.03 R$5.25

59.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.75 R$3.80

50.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.71 R$3.61

76.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.46 R$12.45

62.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.93 R$40.19

68.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.21 R$6.14

40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.43 R$12.32

-2.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.94 R$4.74

28.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$44.29 R$225

72.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.26 R$6.38

4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.91 R$4.60

135.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$9.37 R$47.51

-9.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.02 R$5.17

27.45%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$24.2K R$122.7K

15.63%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.8K R$166.5K

7.85%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$90.9 R$461

89.26%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$10.91 R$55.3

22.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$21.84 R$111

31.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$23.00 R$117

96.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$27.31 R$138

-37.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.86 R$39.83

-20.10%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$355 R$1,799

117.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,900 R$29.9K

52.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$42.90 R$217

101.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$50.1 R$254

13.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$73.6 R$373

85.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$63.2 R$320

54.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$275 R$1,393

284.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$194 R$983

217.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$543 R$2,752

248.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$347 R$1,759

194.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,717 R$8,705

136.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,196 R$6,061

40.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$579 R$2,933

12.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.93

-8.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taubate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Taubate

$194 22.8% 68.5% $422

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Taubate

$205 24% 30.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Taubate

$124 14.5% 42.3% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Taubate

$103 12.1% 39.2% $67

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Taubate

$134 15.7% 20.6% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Taubate

$54 6.3% 42.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Taubate

$39 4.5% 33% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $275 in Taubate. 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 13% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $37.00 in Taubate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $205 – making Taubate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Taubate

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

310,739

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Taubate 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Taubate

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 Taubate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,278 in Taubate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taubate, 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 $37.00 in Taubate. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $852 in Taubate. That's a gap of about 89%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taubate, where all-in costs run around $852, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Taubate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taubate – 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 Taubate. 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.