Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $825 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $825 per month in Serra vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Serra $825
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,225 per month in Serra vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Serra $1,225
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,624 per month in Serra vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Serra $1,624
Medellin $3,186

Serra is about 50% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Serra sits 39% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 R$25.04

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-43.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.69 R$118

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-53.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 R$41.30

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-20.11%

Cappuccino

$1.84 R$10.04

$3.01 COP 9,722

-38.87%

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

$1.24 R$6.77

$1.80 COP 5,801

-31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.93

$1.41 COP 4,554

-61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 R$9.78

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-43.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$15.39

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-50.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.98

$1.51 COP 4,869

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 R$9.45

$2.38 COP 7,667

-26.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.88

$1.77 COP 5,712

-38.98%

Eggs

$2.05 R$11.14

$2.89 COP 9,320

-29.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 R$52.6

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 R$23.22

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-56.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.14 R$44.29

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-41.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 R$14.43

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-33.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.76

$1.55 COP 5,005

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R$9.11

$2.18 COP 7,039

-23.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.26

$2.18 COP 7,041

-30.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.96

$1.96 COP 6,328

-43.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.43

$1.59 COP 5,125

-37.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R$6.41

$1.15 COP 3,694

2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R$6.66

$1.24 COP 4,009

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.75

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-40.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.31 R$28.89

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-61.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$5.19

$1.66 COP 5,352

-42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R$16.85

$2.26 COP 7,281

37.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 R$4.58

$1.17 COP 3,766

-28.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.26 R$241

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-42.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.64

$1.27 COP 4,089

-3.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 R$5.70

$2.05 COP 6,603

-48.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 R$40.09

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-13.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.72

$1.35 COP 4,343

-22.22%

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

$22.0K R$119.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-35.30%

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

$31.5K R$171.6K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-9.02%

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

$147 R$800

$170 COP 547.0K

-13.36%

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

$11.59 R$63.1

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-14.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 R$107

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-29.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.12 R$131

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-44.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$139

$17.19 COP 55.4K

48.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 R$35.95

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-4.34%

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

$172 R$937

$797 COP 2.6M

-78.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,088 R$38.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-22.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 R$285

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-38.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.29 R$257

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-18.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 R$460

$135 COP 435.2K

-37.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 R$368

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,286

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-80.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 R$765

$642 COP 2.1M

-78.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 R$2,189

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-80.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 R$1,112

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-79.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$914 R$4,970

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-78.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$530 R$2,884

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-72.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 R$2,798

$657 COP 2.1M

-21.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Serra: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$198 24%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 50% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$178 21.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 18.5% $33

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$141 17%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 356% $501

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$113 13.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 49.2% $56

Eating Out

Serra

$104 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 63.8% $66

Getting Around

Serra

$54 6.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 73% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$37 4.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 54.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $236 in Serra versus $1,208 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 28% 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 $22 in Serra versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $297 – making Serra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

2 h behind Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Serra Medellin 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Serra
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

Serra vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,238 per month in Serra and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Serra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $236 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Serra 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 $825 in Serra and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Serra about 50% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Serra, where all-in costs run around $825, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Serra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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