Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vila Velha and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Velha: $904 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Vila Velha
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Vila Velha Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Vila Velha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$904

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $904 per month in Vila Velha vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Vila Velha $904
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,478 per month in Vila Velha vs $2,439 in Medellin, rent included.

Vila Velha $1,478
Medellin $2,439

A family of three spends $2,053 per month in Vila Velha vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Vila Velha $2,053
Medellin $3,186

Vila Velha is about 47% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vila Velha sits 33% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.52 R$46.29

$8.34 COP 26.9K

2.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.74 R$200

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-21.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 R$39.65

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-23.02%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R$11.88

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-30.35%

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

$1.31 R$7.13

$1.77 COP 5,700

-25.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R$2.70

$1.42 COP 4,597

-64.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.24

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$14.94

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-51.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.39

$1.53 COP 4,946

-35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 R$7.88

$2.29 COP 7,394

-36.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.86

$1.94 COP 6,276

-6.70%

Eggs

$2.13 R$11.59

$3.07 COP 9,895

-30.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 R$45.28

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-16.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 R$22.80

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-59.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.59 R$46.70

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-38.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.96

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-54.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 R$4.70

$1.53 COP 4,932

-43.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.14

$2.10 COP 6,791

-46.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.63

$2.29 COP 7,402

-46.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.40

$2.11 COP 6,807

-44.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.91

$1.71 COP 5,515

-25.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 R$2.31

$1.17 COP 3,776

-63.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.96

$1.58 COP 5,099

-53.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 R$16.66

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-21.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 R$45.66

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-40.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 R$8.92

$1.76 COP 5,685

-6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 R$11.48

$2.71 COP 8,752

-22.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.11

$1.18 COP 3,807

-20.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.22 R$262

$76.3 COP 246.2K

-36.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.90

$1.81 COP 5,831

-29.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R$4.09

$2.13 COP 6,871

-64.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.85 R$64.4

$8.13 COP 26.2K

45.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$6.37

$1.28 COP 4,115

-8.59%

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

$31.5K R$171.3K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-8.51%

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

$30.9K R$168.1K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-9.44%

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

$105 R$570

$178 COP 573.5K

-41.00%

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

$16.33 R$88.8

$13.89 COP 44.8K

17.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.03 R$76.3

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-54.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.21 R$137

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-39.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 R$142

$16.80 COP 54.2K

54.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 R$35.75

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-11.91%

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

$400 R$2,172

$790 COP 2.5M

-49.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K R$73.9K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

10.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 R$393

$86.3 COP 278.6K

-16.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.23 R$262

$59.3 COP 191.2K

-18.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 R$434

$138 COP 446.4K

-42.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 R$385

$98.8 COP 318.9K

-28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 R$1,550

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-78.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 R$1,250

$667 COP 2.2M

-65.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 R$2,940

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,900

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-48.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,892 R$10.3K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-53.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 R$10.5K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-0.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$386 R$2,097

$646 COP 2.1M

-40.31%

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 Vila Velha: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vila Velha

$230 25.5%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 190% $437

Groceries & Markets

Vila Velha

$183 20.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 68.3% $125

Eating Out

Vila Velha

$138 15.3%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 24.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vila Velha

$135 15%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 64.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Vila Velha

$122 13.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 41.2% $50

Getting Around

Vila Velha

$57 6.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 63.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Vila Velha

$38 4.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 48.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Vila Velha 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 70% 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 $37 in Vila Velha versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $297 – making Vila Velha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Vila Velha

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

2 h behind Vila Velha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

467,722

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 November 3, 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vila Velha Medellin 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,355 per month in Vila Velha and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vila Velha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Vila Velha 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 $904 in Vila Velha and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Vila Velha about 47% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vila Velha, where all-in costs run around $904, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Vila Velha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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