Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $866 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$866

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $866 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $866
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,393 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,393
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,919 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,919
Medellin $3,249

Santa Cruz do Sul is about 49% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Cruz do Sul sits 36% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 R$30.16

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-34.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.04 R$198

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-22.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 R$34.59

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-33.47%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$12.77

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-25.56%

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

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.77 COP 5,727

-29.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.62

$1.42 COP 4,619

-28.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R$12.34

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$14.85

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-52.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.97

$1.53 COP 4,969

-40.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$8.38

$2.29 COP 7,429

-33.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.38

$1.94 COP 6,306

-49.48%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.11

$3.07 COP 9,942

-28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 R$54.3

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-1.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 R$24.01

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-58.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 R$49.94

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-34.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.25

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-44.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.43

$1.53 COP 4,956

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.83

$2.10 COP 6,823

-40.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 R$8.10

$2.29 COP 7,437

-35.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.07

$2.11 COP 6,839

-47.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.53

$1.71 COP 5,542

-40.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.34

$1.17 COP 3,794

-32.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$4.03

$1.58 COP 5,123

-53.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 R$12.51

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-41.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 R$40.28

$14.04 COP 45.5K

-47.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.98

$1.76 COP 5,712

-38.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.92

$2.71 COP 8,793

-26.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.17

$1.18 COP 3,825

-20.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$7.24

$1.81 COP 5,859

-27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.03

$2.13 COP 6,904

-65.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 R$42.21

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-5.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.72

$1.28 COP 4,135

-4.69%

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

$21.7K R$119.1K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-37.00%

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

$32.3K R$177.1K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-5.47%

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

$72.7 R$399

$178 COP 576.3K

-59.08%

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

$11.41 R$62.7

$13.89 COP 45.0K

-17.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.47 R$112

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-33.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.21 R$144

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-37.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 R$36.98

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-9.77%

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

$520 R$2,853

$790 COP 2.6M

-34.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K R$125.4K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

85.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 R$253

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-46.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 R$291

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-10.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 R$517

$138 COP 448.6K

-31.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 R$402

$98.8 COP 320.4K

-25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 R$2,877

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-60.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,579

$667 COP 2.2M

-56.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R$4,885

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-54.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 R$3,241

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-42.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 R$2,040

$646 COP 2.1M

-42.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

10.94

5.12%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$288 33.2%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 132% $380

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$189 21.8%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 62.7% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$120 13.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 43.5% $52

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$116 13.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 48.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$105 12.1%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 113% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$40 4.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 43.3% $17

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$8.8 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 968% $85

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul 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 74% 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 $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $307 – making Santa Cruz do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

2 h behind Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.17 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,644 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Medellin 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
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

Santa Cruz do Sul vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,299 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul 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 Santa Cruz do Sul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $524 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz do Sul, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Santa Cruz do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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