Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Trancoso

For one person, living is cheaper in Trancoso: $767 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Trancoso
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Trancoso Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Trancoso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Trancoso

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $767 in Trancoso, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Trancoso $767

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,226 in Trancoso, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Trancoso $1,226

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,685 in Trancoso, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Trancoso $1,685

Medellin costs about 114% more than Trancoso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Trancoso is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.24 R$28.01

54.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$28.08 R$150

67.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.38 R$34.13

48.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.82 R$9.71

65.38%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.13 R$6.02

59.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.65 R$3.49

116.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.76 R$9.40

80.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.65 R$14.19

116.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.99 R$5.30

52.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.48 R$7.92

60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.13 R$6.07

56.64%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.94 R$10.38

48.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.09 R$43.24

25.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.51 R$18.74

181.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.45 R$39.83

87.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.09 R$11.16

89.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.25 R$6.70

24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.15 R$6.14

89.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.45 R$7.76

50.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.15 R$6.13

70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.05 R$5.61

51.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.72 R$3.85

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.62 R$3.32

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.09 R$11.16

89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.60 R$40.66

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.24 R$6.62

33.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.10 R$11.25

7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.91 R$4.89

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$39.05 R$209

98.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.11 R$5.94

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.76 R$4.08

169.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.22 R$33.24

37.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.08 R$5.79

25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$20.6K R$110.1K

65.43%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.1K R$145.1K

27.72%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$59.6 R$319

184.74%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$13.62 R$72.8

-0.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$18.45 R$98.7

52.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$22.22 R$119

96.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$21.94 R$117

-21.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.32 R$33.79

9.34%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$281 R$1,501

183.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,503 R$34.8K

40.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$47.47 R$254

78.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$42.45 R$227

36.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$75.1 R$402

79.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$63.8 R$341

53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$317 R$1,693

281.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$214 R$1,142

200.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$584 R$3,125

246.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$421 R$2,253

140.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,451 R$7,758

187.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,027 R$5,490

86.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.92

0.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Trancoso: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Trancoso

$214 27.8% 66.7% $428

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Trancoso

$172 22.5% 41.9% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Trancoso

$92 12% 56.6% $120

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Trancoso

$104 13.6% 38.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Trancoso

$103 13.4% 39.1% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Trancoso

$48 6.2% 49.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Trancoso

$35 4.5% 39.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $317 in Trancoso. 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 $28 in Trancoso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $172 – making Trancoso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Trancoso

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

16:59 4:59 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

18,618

💱 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 28, 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 28, 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 →

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Between locations

Medellin Trancoso 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Trancoso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 114%, 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 $1,151 in Trancoso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trancoso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $317 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $28 in Trancoso. 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 $767 in Trancoso. That makes Trancoso about 53% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trancoso, where all-in costs run around $767, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Trancoso it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Trancoso 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.