Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vila Real and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Real: $1,223 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Vila Real
Learn more

Vila Real Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Vila Real

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,223

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,223 per month in Vila Real vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Vila Real $1,223
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,790 per month in Vila Real vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Vila Real $1,790
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,356 per month in Vila Real vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Vila Real $2,356
Medellin $3,186

Vila Real is about 25% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vila Real sits 10% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 €8.17

$8.09 COP 26.1K

12.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 €24.92

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-40.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 €6.81

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-19.89%

Cappuccino

$1.10 €0.99

$3.01 COP 9,722

-63.46%

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

$1.70 €1.52

$1.80 COP 5,801

-5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.41 COP 4,554

-19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.18 COP 10.2K

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-73.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.51 COP 4,869

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.25

$2.38 COP 7,667

-41.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.77 COP 5,712

-32.20%

Eggs

$2.63 €2.36

$2.89 COP 9,320

-9.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 €8.66

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 €6.98

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-20.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.29

$13.99 COP 45.1K

6.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-57.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.55 COP 5,005

-14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.18 COP 7,039

-27.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$2.18 COP 7,041

19.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.96 COP 6,328

-27.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.59 COP 5,125

8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.15 COP 3,694

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$1.24 COP 4,009

-65.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.64

$3.96 COP 12.8K

58.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.91

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-68.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.66 COP 5,352

-33.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.26 COP 7,281

-27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.17 COP 3,766

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.62 €22.05

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-68.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 €3.75

$1.27 COP 4,089

229.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.05 COP 6,603

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.81 €15.05

$8.55 COP 27.6K

96.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.35 COP 4,343

54.07%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-7.11%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

7.82%

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

$109 €97.3

$170 COP 547.0K

-35.99%

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

$16.62 €14.89

$13.55 COP 43.7K

22.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.77 €41.00

$28.07 COP 90.5K

63.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.35 €28.97

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-25.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.22 €9.15

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-40.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.98

$6.91 COP 22.3K

28.94%

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

$328 €294

$797 COP 2.6M

-58.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,782 €8,760

$9,112 COP 29.4M

7.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 €58.1

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 €28.04

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-46.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 €75.8

$135 COP 435.2K

-37.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 €69.3

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-20.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 €703

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-35.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 €431

$642 COP 2.1M

-24.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €905

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-50.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 €685

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-24.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,711 €1,533

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-58.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,313 €1,176

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-31.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 €963

$657 COP 2.1M

63.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

10.94

-67.55%

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

Last update for Vila Real: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vila Real

$481 39.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 33.3% $160

Groceries & Markets

Vila Real

$222 18.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 34% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vila Real

$171 14%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 23.6% $40

Eating Out

Vila Real

$140 11.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 20.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Vila Real

$116 9.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 45.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Vila Real

$50 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Vila Real

$42 3.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 121% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $785 in Vila Real 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 64% higher in Vila Real, 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 $28 in Vila Real versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $297 – making Vila Real the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Vila Real

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

20:37 8:37 PM

5 h behind Vila Real

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,574

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vila Real Medellin 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Vila Real
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

Vila Real vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,835 per month in Vila Real 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 Vila Real, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $785 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Vila Real 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 $1,223 in Vila Real and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Vila Real about 25% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,223 in Vila Real and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Vila Real – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Vila Real is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.