Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $982 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
Learn more

Sao Carlos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $982 per month in Sao Carlos vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Sao Carlos $982
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,709 per month in Sao Carlos vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Sao Carlos $1,709
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,436 per month in Sao Carlos vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Sao Carlos $2,436
Medellin $3,199

Sao Carlos is about 40% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Carlos sits 27% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 R$25.25

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.05 R$203

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-14.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 R$34.33

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-26.73%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R$10.74

$3.05 COP 9,676

-30.49%

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

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.80 COP 5,707

-25.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$3.98

$1.38 COP 4,382

-42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 R$8.24

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$14.36

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-49.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.80

$1.50 COP 4,760

-10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 R$9.96

$2.37 COP 7,508

-17.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.70 COP 5,377

4.71%

Eggs

$2.95 R$14.94

$2.96 COP 9,379

-0.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 R$63.3

$10.22 COP 32.4K

22.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R$26.61

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-46.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.72

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-33.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 R$13.72

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-34.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.33

$1.53 COP 4,839

20.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.01

$2.22 COP 7,052

-19.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.95

$2.27 COP 7,194

-13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R$8.84

$1.99 COP 6,311

-12.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.88

$1.67 COP 5,285

-18.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.18 COP 3,742

-14.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R$5.88

$1.24 COP 3,919

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 R$16.18

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-17.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 R$42.91

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-38.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.50

$1.66 COP 5,256

-10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 R$14.73

$2.40 COP 7,615

21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.24 COP 3,944

-20.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.86 R$121

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-69.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.28 COP 4,044

15.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.11

$2.15 COP 6,803

-53.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 R$18.45

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-56.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.32

$1.35 COP 4,288

-7.41%

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

$20.2K R$102.2K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-42.02%

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

$31.5K R$159.5K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-9.30%

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

$62.4 R$316

$167 COP 528.4K

-62.57%

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

$13.74 R$69.6

$13.62 COP 43.2K

0.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.07 R$122

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-17.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.77 R$176

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-22.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.31 R$245

$17.18 COP 54.5K

181.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 R$27.29

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-22.81%

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

$302 R$1,531

$790 COP 2.5M

-61.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,032 R$15.4K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-66.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 R$429

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-3.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$96.7 R$490

$58.2 COP 184.4K

66.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 R$705

$139 COP 440.7K

0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 R$826

$98.9 COP 313.5K

64.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 R$1,377

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-73.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,197

$620 COP 2.0M

-61.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-64.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,358

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-34.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 R$4,303

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-78.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$730 R$3,698

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-57.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$681 R$3,453

$663 COP 2.1M

2.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

10.94

-1.74%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 23.7% $57

Accommodation & Living

Sao Carlos

$236 24%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 162% $383

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 20.6% $45

Eating Out

Sao Carlos

$108 11%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 58.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 109% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 29.7% $14

Getting Around

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 178% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $272 in Sao Carlos versus $1,028 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 3% higher in Sao Carlos, 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 $40.00 in Sao Carlos versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $298 – making Sao Carlos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

2 h behind Sao Carlos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

254,857

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Carlos Medellin 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Carlos
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

Sao Carlos vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,474 per month in Sao Carlos and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Carlos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Sao Carlos and $47.00 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 $982 in Sao Carlos and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 65%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Carlos, where all-in costs run around $982, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sao Carlos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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