Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala la Real and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Alcala la Real and in Medellin: $1,579 and $1,614 a month, rent and utilities included.

Alcala la Real
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,579
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,579 in Alcala la Real versus $1,614 in Medellin.

  • Alcala la Real $1,579
  • Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,353 in Alcala la Real versus $2,402 in Medellin.

  • Alcala la Real $2,353
  • Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,128 in Alcala la Real versus $3,190 in Medellin.

  • Alcala la Real $3,128
  • Medellin $3,190

Living in Alcala la Real costs roughly 2% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcala la Real 17% above, Medellin 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 €11.89
$7.93 COP 25.2K
68.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.6
$46.13 COP 146.3K
47.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.00 €8.00
$9.50 COP 30.1K
-5.26%
Cappuccino
$1.84 €1.64
$3.11 COP 9,866
-40.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.83 COP 5,800
15.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.38 COP 4,360
16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.97 €2.64
$3.05 COP 9,672
-2.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 €3.08
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-36.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €1.01
$1.45 COP 4,600
-21.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.68 €1.50
$2.36 COP 7,496
-28.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.68 COP 5,328
-6.55%
Eggs
$3.21 €2.86
$2.86 COP 9,077
12.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.48 €11.99
$10.19 COP 32.3K
32.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.29 €7.38
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-13.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.95 €14.19
$14.04 COP 44.5K
13.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.38 €2.11
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-41.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.50 COP 4,742
32.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 €1.67
$2.17 COP 6,891
-13.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.61 €2.32
$2.31 COP 7,310
12.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$1.93 COP 6,113
-4.66%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.64 COP 5,196
26.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.13 COP 3,571
28.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 €0.67
$1.25 COP 3,954
-40.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.68 €5.94
$3.99 COP 12.6K
67.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.94 €5.29
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-55.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.70 COP 5,384
-31.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 €1.75
$2.37 COP 7,525
-16.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 €1.47
$1.21 COP 3,827
36.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.65 €29.04
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-57.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.66 €1.48
$1.32 COP 4,179
25.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 €0.94
$2.14 COP 6,774
-50.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.75 €13.12
$8.47 COP 26.8K
74.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.30 COP 4,114
40.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K €31.7K
$28.0K COP 88.7M
27.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.7K €25.5K
$35.4K COP 112.3M
-18.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 €105
$172 COP 545.6K
-31.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.13 €14.35
$13.37 COP 42.4K
20.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.94 €29.29
$28.73 COP 91.1K
14.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.43 €39.51
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-1.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.82 €14.07
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-7.16%
Cinema Ticket
$8.02 €7.14
$6.28 COP 19.9K
27.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$552 €491
$770 COP 2.4M
-28.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,151 €7,250
$9,011 COP 28.6M
-9.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 €80.0
$86.4 COP 274.0K
4.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.88 €34.58
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-31.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.9 €86.1
$137 COP 432.9K
-29.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 €99.7
$97.9 COP 310.4K
14.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$891 €793
$1,055 COP 3.3M
-15.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$693 €616
$616 COP 2.0M
12.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,345 €1,196
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-28.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 €896
$1,023 COP 3.2M
-1.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,283 €2,920
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-19.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,174 €1,934
$1,678 COP 5.3M
29.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alcala la Real
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$652 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.34
10.94
-69.47%

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

Last update for Alcala la Real: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Alcala la Real
$693
Medellin
$616 11.1% $77
Groceries & Markets
Alcala la Real
$268
Medellin
$295 10.1% $27
Eating Out
Alcala la Real
$193
Medellin
$168 12.6% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcala la Real
$167
Medellin
$214 28.2% $47
Clothing & Footwear
Alcala la Real
$152
Medellin
$170 11.9% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Alcala la Real
$60
Medellin
$58 4.4% $2.7
Getting Around
Alcala la Real
$46
Medellin
$93 102% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Alcala la Real and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Alcala la Real vs $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $295, with Alcala la Real cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Alcala la Real
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
19:35 7:35 PM
12:35 12:35 PM
7 h behind Alcala la Real
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,587
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Alcala la Real Medellin 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Alcala la 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
Alcala la Real vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Alcala la Real and in Medellin?
Alcala la Real and Medellin differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,579 vs $1,614 including rent). Alcala la Real is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Alcala la Real compared to Medellin?
You'd need roughly $2,368 in Alcala la Real and $2,421 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Alcala la Real and in Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $891 in Alcala la Real versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Alcala la Real and in Medellin?
A monthly transit pass in Alcala la Real runs roughly 134% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Alcala la Real and Medellin?
Childcare runs $552 in Alcala la Real versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,579 in Alcala la Real versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alcala la Real but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala la Real the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Alcala la Real and Medellin?
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.
Is Alcala la Real or Medellin safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Alcala la Real and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Alcala la Real or Medellin?
Expats usually find Alcala la Real gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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