Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Vila Velha

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Velha: $904 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Vila Velha
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Vila Velha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Vila Velha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Vila Velha

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $904 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Vila Velha $904

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,478 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Vila Velha $1,478

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,053 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Vila Velha $2,053

Medellin costs about 87% more than Vila Velha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Vila Velha is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$8.52 R$46.50

-2.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$36.74 R$201

26.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.29 R$39.82

29.90%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.18 R$11.93

43.58%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.31 R$7.17

35.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.50 R$2.72

184.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.88 R$10.29

67.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.75 R$15.00

107.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.99 R$5.42

54.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.45 R$7.91

57.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.81 R$9.90

7.18%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.13 R$11.64

44.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.33 R$45.48

19.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.19 R$22.90

149.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$8.59 R$46.91

62.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.83 R$10.01

121.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.87 R$4.72

75.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.13 R$6.17

85.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.22 R$6.66

87.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.18 R$6.43

78.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.27 R$6.94

34.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.43 R$2.32

172.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.73 R$3.98

116.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.06 R$16.73

27.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$8.40 R$45.86

67.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.64 R$8.96

7.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.11 R$11.53

28.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.94 R$5.13

25.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$48.22 R$263

58.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.27 R$6.93

42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.75 R$4.11

184.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$11.85 R$64.7

-31.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.17 R$6.40

9.40%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$31.5K R$172.1K

9.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$30.9K R$168.8K

10.42%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$105 R$573

69.49%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$16.33 R$89.2

-14.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$14.03 R$76.6

119.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$25.21 R$138

66.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$26.03 R$142

-35.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.58 R$35.91

13.53%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$400 R$2,182

97.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$13.6K R$74.3K

-9.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$72.2 R$394

19.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$48.23 R$263

22.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$79.8 R$436

73.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$70.9 R$387

39.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$285 R$1,557

370.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$230 R$1,256

190.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$541 R$2,953

265.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$533 R$2,913

93.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,892 R$10.3K

116.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,937 R$10.6K

0.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$386 R$2,106

67.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.33

-3.44%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vila Velha: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Vila Velha

$230 25.5% 65.5% $437

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Vila Velha

$183 20.2% 40.6% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Vila Velha

$135 15% 39.2% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Vila Velha

$138 15.3% 19.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Vila Velha

$122 13.5% 29.2% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Vila Velha

$57 6.3% 39% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Vila Velha

$38 4.3% 32.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $285 in Vila Velha. 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 68% 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 $37 in Vila Velha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $183 – making Vila Velha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Vila Velha

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

467,722

💱 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 Vila Velha 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Vila Velha

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 Vila Velha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 87%, 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 $1,355 in Vila Velha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vila Velha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $37 in Vila Velha. 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 $904 in Vila Velha. That makes Vila Velha about 47% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vila Velha, where all-in costs run around $904, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Vila Velha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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