Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $830 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palmas and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Palmas and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $830 per month in Palmas vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Palmas $830
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,281 per month in Palmas vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Palmas $1,281
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,733 per month in Palmas vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Palmas $1,733
Medellin $3,249

Palmas is about 51% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Palmas sits 39% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 R$21.01

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-54.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.86 R$120

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-53.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R$40.65

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-21.75%

Cappuccino

$1.73 R$9.48

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-44.73%

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

$1.63 R$8.96

$1.77 COP 5,728

-7.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.45

$1.42 COP 4,620

-42.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R$7.99

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-53.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 R$14.91

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-52.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.60

$1.53 COP 4,971

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 R$7.36

$2.29 COP 7,431

-41.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 R$15.15

$1.94 COP 6,308

42.27%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.24

$3.07 COP 9,945

-21.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.62 R$36.36

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-33.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 R$16.20

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-71.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.75 R$31.58

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-58.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.97

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-46.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.57

$1.53 COP 4,957

1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.21

$2.10 COP 6,825

-46.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.93

$2.29 COP 7,439

-52.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.51

$2.11 COP 6,841

-43.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.72

$1.71 COP 5,543

-39.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$4.13

$1.17 COP 3,795

-35.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.90

$1.58 COP 5,125

-55.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 R$11.30

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-47.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 R$35.25

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-54.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.76 COP 5,714

-29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R$11.02

$2.71 COP 8,796

-25.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 R$4.09

$1.18 COP 3,826

-37.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 R$229

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-45.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 R$7.14

$1.81 COP 5,860

-28.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R$3.83

$2.13 COP 6,906

-67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 R$34.35

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-23.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$6.08

$1.28 COP 4,136

-13.28%

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

$19.7K R$108.0K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-42.86%

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

$30.8K R$169.3K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-9.62%

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

$106 R$581

$178 COP 576.4K

-40.45%

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

$10.92 R$59.9

$13.89 COP 45.0K

-21.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.50 R$102

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-39.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.99 R$121

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-47.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.12 R$143

$16.80 COP 54.5K

55.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 R$33.62

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-17.94%

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

$142 R$779

$790 COP 2.6M

-82.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,428 R$35.3K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-47.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.94 R$186

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-60.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.29 R$271

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-16.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 R$582

$138 COP 448.7K

-23.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$367

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-32.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 R$1,696

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-76.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,276

$667 COP 2.2M

-65.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,354

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-69.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 R$2,532

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-55.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,616 R$8,869

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-60.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,140 R$6,257

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-41.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Palmas: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmas

$233 28%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 187% $435

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$167 20.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 84.4% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$135 16.3%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 64.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$115 13.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 49.4% $57

Eating Out

Palmas

$96 11.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 79.7% $77

Getting Around

Palmas

$49 6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 88.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$34 4.1%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 66.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $309 in Palmas versus $1,341 in Medellin. 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 $22 in Palmas versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $307 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h behind Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palmas Medellin 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
Medellin

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

Palmas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,244 per month in Palmas and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palmas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Palmas and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $830 in Palmas and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Palmas about 51% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Palmas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Palmas is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.