Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala de Henares and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,909 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,909

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,909 in Alcala de Henares versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Alcala de Henares $1,909
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,723 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Alcala de Henares $2,723
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Alcala de Henares $3,537
Medellin $3,186

Living in Alcala de Henares is roughly 16% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcala de Henares 40% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.95 €15.18

$8.09 COP 26.1K

109.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.0

$47.05 COP 151.7K

39.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.95

$9.50 COP 30.6K

16.95%

Cappuccino

$2.66 €2.39

$3.01 COP 9,722

-11.63%

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

$3.22 €2.88

$1.80 COP 5,801

78.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.41 COP 4,554

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 €3.45

$3.18 COP 10.2K

21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 €4.37

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-15.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.51 COP 4,869

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.38 COP 7,667

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.77 COP 5,712

-3.39%

Eggs

$2.88 €2.58

$2.89 COP 9,320

-0.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.52 €20.17

$10.19 COP 32.9K

121.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 €8.21

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-7.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.66 €15.81

$13.99 COP 45.1K

26.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-29.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.55 COP 5,005

53.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.18 COP 7,039

0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.18 COP 7,041

19.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.96 COP 6,328

9.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.59 COP 5,125

35.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.15 COP 3,694

31.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.24 COP 4,009

-39.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 €5.43

$3.96 COP 12.8K

53.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.99

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-42.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.66 COP 5,352

-28.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.26 COP 7,281

-5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.17 COP 3,766

25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.73 €40.95

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-40.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 €3.32

$1.27 COP 4,089

191.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.05 COP 6,603

-5.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.94 €20.55

$8.55 COP 27.6K

168.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.35 COP 4,343

27.41%

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

$32.8K €29.4K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-3.72%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-11.73%

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

$188 €169

$170 COP 547.0K

10.99%

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

$19.42 €17.39

$13.55 COP 43.7K

43.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.79 €27.58

$28.07 COP 90.5K

9.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 €37.19

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-4.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 €7.40

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-51.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.49 €8.50

$6.91 COP 22.3K

37.34%

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

$182 €163

$797 COP 2.6M

-77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,892 €5,277

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-35.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 €66.0

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-13.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 €32.14

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-38.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 €69.1

$135 COP 435.2K

-42.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 €85.7

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 €881

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$854 €765

$642 COP 2.1M

33.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 €1,604

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-11.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 €1,035

$1,012 COP 3.3M

14.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,266 €3,821

$4,170 COP 13.4M

2.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,423 €3,066

$1,910 COP 6.2M

79.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,741 €1,559

$657 COP 2.1M

164.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

10.94

-71.30%

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

Last update for Alcala de Henares: 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

Alcala de Henares

$854 44.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 24.9% $212

Groceries & Markets

Alcala de Henares

$314 16.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 5.4% $17

Eating Out

Alcala de Henares

$251 13.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 32.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 11.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 33% $42

Getting Around

Alcala de Henares

$65 3.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 44% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Alcala de Henares

$61 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 4.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $983 in Alcala de Henares and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Alcala de Henares vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

19:12 7:12 PM

6 h behind Alcala de Henares

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,184

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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 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

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Between locations

Alcala de Henares Medellin 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcala de Henares
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

Alcala de Henares vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,909 in Alcala de Henares and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Alcala de Henares is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $983 in Alcala de Henares versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Alcala de Henares versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Alcala de Henares. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Alcala de Henares on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.