Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petrolina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $736 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
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Petrolina Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $736 per month in Petrolina vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Petrolina $736
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,155 per month in Petrolina vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Petrolina $1,155
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,574 per month in Petrolina vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Petrolina $1,574
Medellin $3,249

Petrolina is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Petrolina sits 46% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.42 R$29.74

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-35.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.35 R$161

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-36.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 R$40.07

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-22.91%

Cappuccino

$1.86 R$10.20

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-40.58%

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

$1.23 R$6.75

$1.77 COP 5,705

-30.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.85

$1.42 COP 4,601

-50.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 R$9.94

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-42.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 R$15.65

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.71

$1.53 COP 4,950

-32.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 R$4.66

$2.29 COP 7,401

-62.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.06

$1.94 COP 6,282

-42.78%

Eggs

$1.54 R$8.47

$3.07 COP 9,905

-49.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 R$47.17

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-13.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 R$19.10

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-66.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R$40.90

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-46.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.39

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-44.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 R$4.62

$1.53 COP 4,937

-45.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.89

$2.10 COP 6,797

-49.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.92

$2.29 COP 7,409

-37.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.16

$2.11 COP 6,813

-46.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 R$3.99

$1.71 COP 5,521

-57.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.93

$1.17 COP 3,780

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.45

$1.58 COP 5,104

-71.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.81

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-40.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 R$35.56

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.78

$1.76 COP 5,690

-30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R$10.68

$2.71 COP 8,760

-28.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.18 COP 3,811

-15.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.15 R$231

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-44.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.76

$1.81 COP 5,836

-32.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.72

$2.13 COP 6,878

-59.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 R$40.75

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-8.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.77

$1.28 COP 4,119

-3.91%

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

$19.5K R$107.0K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-43.36%

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

$24.6K R$134.9K

$34.1K COP 110.3M

-27.98%

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

$62.7 R$344

$178 COP 574.1K

-64.75%

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

$8.18 R$44.86

$13.89 COP 44.9K

-41.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.37 R$62.4

$30.74 COP 99.3K

-63.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.51 R$96.1

$41.94 COP 135.5K

-58.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.72 R$141

$16.80 COP 54.3K

53.10%

Cinema Ticket

$3.76 R$20.63

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-49.67%

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

$226 R$1,241

$790 COP 2.6M

-71.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,623 R$36.3K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-46.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.43 R$101

$86.3 COP 278.9K

-78.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 R$256

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-21.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 R$279

$138 COP 446.9K

-63.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 R$429

$98.8 COP 319.2K

-20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 R$1,405

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-80.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 R$1,213

$667 COP 2.2M

-66.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 R$3,048

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-71.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 R$2,081

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-63.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,587 R$8,710

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-61.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 R$6,248

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-41.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$558 R$3,061

$646 COP 2.1M

-13.67%

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 Petrolina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petrolina

$221 30%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 202% $446

Groceries & Markets

Petrolina

$159 21.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 93.3% $148

Eating Out

Petrolina

$110 15%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 56.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Petrolina

$87 11.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 97.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petrolina

$82 11.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 171% $140

Getting Around

Petrolina

$52 7%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 80.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Petrolina

$25 3.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 127% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $256 in Petrolina 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.

Salaries run about 16% 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 $29 in Petrolina versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $159 vs $307 – making Petrolina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

2 h behind Petrolina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,791

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Petrolina Medellin 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Petrolina
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

Petrolina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,104 per month in Petrolina 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 Petrolina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Petrolina 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 $736 in Petrolina and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Petrolina about 56% cheaper.

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