Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Medellin

🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 7.2% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 7.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 3.6% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 7.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.31 R$38.23
$6.03 COP 22.9K
21.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.07 R$189
$33.17 COP 125.7K
8.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.33 R$33.12
$7.29 COP 27.6K
-13.17%
Cappuccino
$1.90 R$9.95
$1.63 COP 6,174
16.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 R$6.96
$1.05 COP 3,974
26.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R$4.43
$0.77 COP 2,918
10.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.77 R$9.25
$1.73 COP 6,554
2.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 R$14.33
$3.18 COP 12.0K
-13.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 R$6.03
$1.07 COP 4,043
7.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 R$9.02
$1.31 COP 4,968
31.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R$7.71
$1.38 COP 5,230
6.52%
Eggs
$2.03 R$10.62
$2.25 COP 8,515
-9.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.85 R$41.05
$4.48 COP 17.0K
75.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.50 R$18.29
$5.74 COP 21.7K
-39.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.31 R$43.48
$8.86 COP 33.6K
-6.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 R$12.57
$2.24 COP 8,496
7.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 R$8.12
$1.06 COP 4,015
46.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.50 R$7.82
$1.51 COP 5,736
-0.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 R$8.07
$1.36 COP 5,154
13.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.46
$1.12 COP 4,247
10.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 R$5.79
$1.17 COP 4,430
-5.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 R$3.61
$0.90 COP 3,418
-23.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 R$2.99
$0.84 COP 3,171
-32.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.96 R$10.23
$2.26 COP 8,559
-13.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.55 R$39.49
$9.97 COP 37.8K
-24.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 R$6.42
$1.18 COP 4,482
4.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 R$10.79
$2.39 COP 9,054
-13.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.29 R$6.77
$0.86 COP 3,255
50.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.76 R$203
$41.45 COP 157.1K
-6.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.12 R$5.86
$1.47 COP 5,559
-23.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.70 R$3.67
$1.95 COP 7,372
-64.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.47 R$39.07
$7.76 COP 29.4K
-3.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 R$5.87
$0.97 COP 3,665
15.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.4K R$106.8K
$17.9K COP 68.0M
13.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K R$142.6K
$26.7K COP 101.2M
2.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 R$547
$81.1 COP 307.3K
29.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.03 R$62.9
$9.40 COP 35.6K
27.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.56 R$97.1
$23.61 COP 89.4K
-21.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.24 R$137
$25.55 COP 96.8K
2.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.71 R$124
$19.29 COP 73.1K
22.91%
Cinema Ticket
$6.47 R$33.83
$4.10 COP 15.5K
57.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$542 R$2,833
$306 COP 1.2M
76.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K R$61.0K
$5,899 COP 22.3M
97.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.73 R$234
$59.8 COP 226.6K
-25.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.51 R$222
$31.96 COP 121.1K
33.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 R$397
$103 COP 389.1K
-26.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62.1 R$325
$108 COP 408.7K
-42.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$430 R$2,247
$483 COP 1.8M
-11.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$328 R$1,714
$377 COP 1.4M
-13.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$853 R$4,462
$822 COP 3.1M
3.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$585 R$3,057
$721 COP 2.7M
-18.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,775 R$14.5K
$2,784 COP 10.5M
-0.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,274 R$6,665
$1,320 COP 5.0M
-3.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$506 R$2,647
$538 COP 2.0M
-5.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
13.43
-15.64%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: March 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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