Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sorocaba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sorocaba: $831 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sorocaba
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Sorocaba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sorocaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$831

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $831 per month in Sorocaba vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Sorocaba $831
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,270 per month in Sorocaba vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Sorocaba $1,270
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,710 per month in Sorocaba vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Sorocaba $1,710
Medellin $3,186

Sorocaba is about 49% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 R$33.36

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-24.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.17 R$142

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-44.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 R$40.60

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-21.37%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.40

$3.01 COP 9,734

-30.23%

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

$1.29 R$6.99

$1.80 COP 5,809

-28.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.98

$1.41 COP 4,560

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 R$12.04

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 R$20.52

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-34.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.97

$1.51 COP 4,875

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$9.14

$2.38 COP 7,677

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.22

$1.77 COP 5,719

-45.76%

Eggs

$2.37 R$12.88

$2.89 COP 9,332

-17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 R$45.25

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-18.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.83 R$20.83

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-61.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R$39.65

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-47.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 R$12.76

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-40.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R$9.14

$1.55 COP 5,011

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.62

$2.18 COP 7,047

-52.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.49

$2.18 COP 7,050

-28.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R$6.00

$1.96 COP 6,336

-43.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 R$5.13

$1.59 COP 5,131

-40.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.56

$1.15 COP 3,698

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 R$3.54

$1.24 COP 4,014

-47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 R$14.76

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 R$29.80

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-59.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 R$7.97

$1.66 COP 5,359

-11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 R$9.68

$2.26 COP 7,290

-21.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.36

$1.17 COP 3,770

-31.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.51 R$209

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-50.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 R$5.39

$1.27 COP 4,094

-22.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 R$1.85

$2.05 COP 6,611

-83.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 R$35.63

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-23.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.43

$1.35 COP 4,348

-12.59%

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

$22.5K R$122.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-33.83%

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

$30.4K R$165.2K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-12.34%

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

$78.0 R$424

$170 COP 547.7K

-54.05%

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

$11.67 R$63.4

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-13.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.62 R$101

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-33.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.12 R$131

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-44.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.70 R$74.5

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-20.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 R$40.52

$6.91 COP 22.3K

7.81%

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

$325 R$1,765

$797 COP 2.6M

-59.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,643 R$19.8K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-60.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.70 R$210

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-54.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 R$301

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-4.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 R$448

$135 COP 435.7K

-38.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 R$380

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-28.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,186

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-81.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 R$1,244

$642 COP 2.1M

-64.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 R$2,346

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-78.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 R$2,054

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-62.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 R$9,271

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-59.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,458

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-37.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 R$2,186

$657 COP 2.1M

-38.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

10.94

3.56%

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

Last update for Sorocaba: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sorocaba

$229 27.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 180% $413

Groceries & Markets

Sorocaba

$177 21.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 68.3% $120

Eating Out

Sorocaba

$123 14.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 37.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sorocaba

$111 13.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 52.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sorocaba

$108 13%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 95.2% $103

Getting Around

Sorocaba

$44 5.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 111% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sorocaba

$39 4.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 47.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Sorocaba 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 63% 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 $26 in Sorocaba versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $297 – making Sorocaba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sorocaba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

2 h behind Sorocaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

723,682

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sorocaba Medellin 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sorocaba
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

Sorocaba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,247 per month in Sorocaba 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 Sorocaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $218 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Sorocaba 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 $831 in Sorocaba and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Sorocaba about 49% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sorocaba, where all-in costs run around $831, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sorocaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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