Cost of Living · BR vs CO
🇧🇷 São Paulo vs 🇨🇴 Medellín: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $949 in Brazil vs $736 in Colombia — 22.47% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Colombia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -25.57%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -25.57%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -25.57%
Closest to Brazil prices
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -7.97%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -8.08%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -8.1%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Brazil | Colombia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $604 | $450 (1,823,587 COP) | -25.57% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $484 | $360 (1,458,845 COP) | -25.57% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,105 | $823 (3,334,556 COP) | -25.57% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $7.81 | $6.19 (25,089 COP) | -20.74% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $32.53 | $25.80 (104,571 COP) | -20.69% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.15 | $4.17 (16,902 COP) | -19.03% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.60 | $0.51 (2,067 COP) | -15% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.74 | $1.47 (5,958 COP) | -15.52% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.85 | $1.56 (6,323 COP) | -15.68% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.45 | $4.60 (18,644 COP) | -15.6% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.18 | $1.84 (7,458 COP) | -15.6% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.61 | $2.21 (8,957 COP) | -15.33% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.54 | $5.52 (22,373 COP) | -15.6% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.09 | $0.92 (3,729 COP) | -15.6% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.60 | $2.06 (8,349 COP) | -20.77% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.90 | $5.43 (22,009 COP) | -7.97% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.17 | $1.72 (6,971 COP) | -20.74% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.25 | $1.06 (4,296 COP) | -15.2% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $30.42 | $24.64 (99,869 COP) | -19% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.29 | $1.04 (4,215 COP) | -19.38% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.74 | $1.38 (5,593 COP) | -20.69% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.78 | $0.62 (2,513 COP) | -20.51% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.70 | $0.64 (2,594 COP) | -8.57% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $93.60 | $75.80 (307,228 COP) | -19.02% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $32.76 | $26.53 (107,530 COP) | -19.02% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $21.06 | $17.06 (69,147 COP) | -18.99% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $21.69 | $17.20 (69,714 COP) | -20.7% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.07 | $4.82 (19,536 COP) | -20.59% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.01 | $10.32 (41,828 COP) | -20.68% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $40.59 | $37.31 (151,223 COP) | -8.08% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $66.43 | $61.05 (247,444 COP) | -8.1% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $108 | $85.99 (348,529 COP) | -20.71% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Colombia than Brazil?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $736 in Colombia versus $949 in Brazil — 22.47% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Colombia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.06 in Colombia (≈ 8349.46 COP), versus about $2.60 in Brazil.
- How much is rent in Colombia compared to Brazil?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $450/month in Colombia versus $604/month in Brazil (-25.57%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.