Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Medellin $3,249

Rio de Janeiro is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 12% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.76

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-2.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-20.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.28

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-20.59%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.55

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-32.91%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$1.77 COP 5,727

-23.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$1.42 COP 4,619

-32.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-42.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$1.53 COP 4,969

-28.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$2.29 COP 7,429

-18.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$1.94 COP 6,306

-42.27%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.09

$3.07 COP 9,942

-28.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-0.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.56

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-60.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-33.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-36.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$1.53 COP 4,956

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$2.10 COP 6,823

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$2.29 COP 7,437

-24.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$2.11 COP 6,839

-45.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.71 COP 5,542

-41.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$1.17 COP 3,794

-43.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$1.58 COP 5,123

-61.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-31.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.53

$14.04 COP 45.5K

-48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.89

$1.76 COP 5,712

-39.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.29

$2.71 COP 8,793

-17.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$1.18 COP 3,825

-25.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-31.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.81 COP 5,859

-34.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$2.13 COP 6,904

-68.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.80

$8.13 COP 26.4K

7.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.28 COP 4,135

-6.25%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-36.49%

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

$31.0K R$170.2K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-9.15%

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

$126 R$689

$178 COP 576.3K

-29.32%

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$13.89 COP 45.0K

-27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-31.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-32.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$16.80 COP 54.5K

71.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.63

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-0.94%

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

$537 R$2,947

$790 COP 2.6M

-32.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

29.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-55.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-23.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$138 COP 448.6K

-50.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$98.8 COP 320.4K

-35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,213

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-42.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,693

$667 COP 2.2M

-26.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,004

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-26.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,077

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-28.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-18.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,518

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-20.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,698

$646 COP 2.1M

4.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.94

9.05%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 36% $176

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 55.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 41.9% $66

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 24.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 76.9% $75

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 54.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 31.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro 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 4% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $307 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

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 = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 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 = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Medellin 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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

Rio de Janeiro vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $768 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro 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 $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Rio de Janeiro about 30% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,185 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Rio de Janeiro is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.