Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Paulo is 3.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 6.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 10.7% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 10.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.13 R$39.55
$6.23 COP 26K
14.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.76 R$221
$32.34 COP 134.8K
22.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.39 R$41
$7.39 COP 30.8K
-
Cappuccino
$2.04 R$11.32
$1.72 COP 7,155
18.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 R$6.69
$1.1 COP 4,575
10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 R$4.77
$0.73 COP 3,060
17.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 R$11.9
$1.66 COP 6,916
28.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 R$15.76
$3.2 COP 13.3K
-11.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 R$5.7
$1.09 COP 4,552
-5.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.76 R$9.75
$1.24 COP 5,188
41.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 R$7.19
$1.33 COP 5,544
-3.01%
Eggs
$2.41 R$13.35
$2.22 COP 9,252
8.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.96 R$60.8
$4.55 COP 19K
140.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.32 R$23.97
$5.71 COP 23.8K
-24.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.01 R$49.99
$8.59 COP 35.8K
4.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 R$15.41
$2.26 COP 9,410
23.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 R$10.25
$1.07 COP 4,461
72.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.68 R$9.3
$1.51 COP 6,293
11.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.76 R$9.78
$1.42 COP 5,911
23.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.44 R$8.01
$1.11 COP 4,619
29.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 R$6.93
$1.18 COP 4,932
5.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 R$5.59
$0.89 COP 3,718
13.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.7 R$3.88
$0.84 COP 3,507
-16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.49 R$13.8
$2.35 COP 9,809
5.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.12 R$50.6
$9.34 COP 38.9K
-2.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R$7.52
$1.18 COP 4,927
15.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 R$12.74
$2.49 COP 10.4K
-8.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 R$5.2
$0.83 COP 3,464
13.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.21 R$245
$41.9 COP 174.7K
5.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R$6.12
$1.41 COP 5,899
-21.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 R$4.21
$1.96 COP 8,164
-61.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.96 R$49.72
$7.85 COP 32.7K
14.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.1 R$6.1
$1.02 COP 4,265
7.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22K R$121.8K
$17.6K COP 73.4M
24.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K R$157.7K
$26.2K COP 109.2M
8.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.8 R$298
$82.5 COP 344.1K
-34.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 R$74.2
$9.44 COP 39.4K
41.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.19 R$112
$23.51 COP 98K
-14.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.33 R$163
$25.68 COP 107.1K
14.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.52 R$197
$19.14 COP 79.8K
85.58%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 R$43.78
$3.96 COP 16.5K
99.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$506 R$2,806
$305 COP 1.3M
65.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K R$84.5K
$5,925 COP 24.7M
157.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.4 R$291
$57.9 COP 241.4K
-9.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.78 R$232
$31.59 COP 131.7K
32.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.4 R$441
$103 COP 430.1K
-23.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.5 R$414
$106 COP 440.5K
-29.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$678 R$3,761
$489 COP 2M
38.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$406 R$2,252
$379 COP 1.6M
7.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,267 R$7,033
$827 COP 3.4M
53.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$759 R$4,214
$729 COP 3M
4.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,965 R$16.5K
$2,190 COP 9.1M
35.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,984 R$11K
$1,532 COP 6.4M
29.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Paulo
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$713 R$3,959
$550 COP 2.3M
29.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.56
13.43
-13.92%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 28, 2025

Last update for Medellin: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.