Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paulo Afonso and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulo Afonso: $797 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Paulo Afonso
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Paulo Afonso Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Paulo Afonso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$797

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paulo Afonso 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 Paulo Afonso and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $797 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $797
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,293 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $1,293
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,790 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $1,790
Medellin $3,186

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

Paulo Afonso sits 41% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 R$31.18

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-29.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.27 R$175

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-31.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$37.06

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-28.21%

Cappuccino

$1.62 R$8.83

$3.01 COP 9,734

-46.18%

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

$1.34 R$7.28

$1.80 COP 5,809

-25.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.68

$1.41 COP 4,560

-51.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 R$11.50

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R$16.16

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-48.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.38

$1.51 COP 4,875

-34.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$9.13

$2.38 COP 7,677

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.60

$1.77 COP 5,719

-41.81%

Eggs

$2.31 R$12.57

$2.89 COP 9,332

-20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.77 R$42.25

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-23.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 R$20.37

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-62.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 R$39.13

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-48.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.81

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-45.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.61

$1.55 COP 5,011

-21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.27

$2.18 COP 7,047

-47.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.43

$2.18 COP 7,050

-28.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.06

$1.96 COP 6,336

-33.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.28

$1.59 COP 5,131

-38.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.93

$1.15 COP 3,698

-37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.38

$1.24 COP 4,014

-34.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 R$11.89

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-44.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$45.64

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-38.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.75

$1.66 COP 5,359

-36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R$10.27

$2.26 COP 7,290

-16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 R$4.82

$1.17 COP 3,770

-23.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.66 R$216

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-48.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R$6.01

$1.27 COP 4,094

-12.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.71

$2.05 COP 6,611

-57.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$39.36

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-15.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.98

$1.35 COP 4,348

-18.52%

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

$23.1K R$125.7K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-32.15%

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

$33.7K R$183.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-2.72%

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

$79.7 R$433

$170 COP 547.7K

-53.03%

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

$13.01 R$70.7

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-3.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.06 R$104

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-32.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.97 R$147

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-38.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.73 R$134

$17.19 COP 55.5K

43.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 R$34.25

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-8.83%

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

$224 R$1,216

$797 COP 2.6M

-71.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,476 R$40.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-17.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.97 R$255

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-44.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.35 R$257

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-18.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 R$386

$135 COP 435.7K

-47.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.8 R$331

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-37.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R$2,049

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-68.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 R$1,124

$642 COP 2.1M

-67.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$682 R$3,710

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-66.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R$2,436

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-55.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,537 R$8,356

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-63.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$997 R$5,420

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-47.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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 Paulo Afonso: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paulo Afonso

$207 25.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 210% $435

Groceries & Markets

Paulo Afonso

$178 22.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 66.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paulo Afonso

$112 14%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 89% $100

Eating Out

Paulo Afonso

$110 13.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 53.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Paulo Afonso

$102 12.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 66.1% $67

Getting Around

Paulo Afonso

$49 6.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 92.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Paulo Afonso

$40 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 45.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Paulo Afonso versus $1,208 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 $32 in Paulo Afonso versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $297 – making Paulo Afonso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Paulo Afonso

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

2 h behind Paulo Afonso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,870

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Paulo Afonso Medellin 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Paulo Afonso
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

Paulo Afonso vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,196 per month in Paulo Afonso and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paulo Afonso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Paulo Afonso 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 $797 in Paulo Afonso and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Paulo Afonso about 51% cheaper.

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

For expats, Paulo Afonso 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.