Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bahia Blanca and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia Blanca: $1,210 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Bahia Blanca
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Bahia Blanca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bahia Blanca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,210

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Bahia Blanca versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bahia Blanca $1,210
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bahia Blanca versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bahia Blanca $2,033
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,857 in Bahia Blanca versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bahia Blanca $2,857
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bahia Blanca costs roughly 26% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bahia Blanca is 11% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ARS 13.3K

$8.09 COP 26.1K

6.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 ARS 86.7K

$47.05 COP 151.8K

19.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.38 ARS 12.9K

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-11.79%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ARS 4,263

$3.01 COP 9,729

-8.31%

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

$2.56 ARS 3,957

$1.80 COP 5,806

42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 3,020

$1.41 COP 4,558

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ARS 1,911

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ARS 3,427

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-61.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ARS 2,520

$1.51 COP 4,873

7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ARS 1,491

$2.38 COP 7,673

-59.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 ARS 5,574

$1.77 COP 5,716

103.95%

Eggs

$2.80 ARS 4,325

$2.89 COP 9,327

-3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 ARS 15.2K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-3.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.61 ARS 10.2K

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-33.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.42 ARS 19.2K

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-11.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 ARS 3,416

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-44.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,725

$1.55 COP 5,009

55.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ARS 2,601

$2.18 COP 7,044

-22.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 ARS 4,788

$2.18 COP 7,047

42.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ARS 2,402

$1.96 COP 6,333

-20.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ARS 1,513

$1.59 COP 5,129

-38.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 ARS 2,792

$1.15 COP 3,696

57.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ARS 3,294

$1.24 COP 4,012

71.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,453

$3.96 COP 12.8K

5.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 ARS 7,855

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-62.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ARS 2,273

$1.66 COP 5,356

-11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,665

$2.26 COP 7,286

-23.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ARS 1,836

$1.17 COP 3,769

1.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 ARS 82.6K

$77.4 COP 249.7K

-30.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ARS 2,264

$1.27 COP 4,092

15.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 ARS 2,353

$2.05 COP 6,608

-25.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.82 ARS 8,995

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-31.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ARS 1,714

$1.35 COP 4,346

-17.78%

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

$21.7K ARS 33.5M

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-36.37%

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

$27.6K ARS 42.7M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-20.25%

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

$126 ARS 195.4K

$170 COP 547.5K

-25.45%

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

$15.10 ARS 23.3K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

11.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.18 ARS 38.9K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-10.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.75 ARS 64.5K

$43.70 COP 141.0K

-4.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.36 ARS 31.5K

$17.19 COP 55.5K

18.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.53 ARS 14.7K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

37.92%

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

$104 ARS 161.4K

$797 COP 2.6M

-86.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,190 ARS 6.5M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-54.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 ARS 122.9K

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-6.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.2 ARS 113.1K

$58.0 COP 187.0K

26.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ARS 182.5K

$135 COP 435.5K

-12.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ARS 172.3K

$97.9 COP 315.8K

13.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 ARS 788.1K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ARS 506.1K

$642 COP 2.1M

-48.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-47.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 ARS 1.3M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-18.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,754 ARS 2.7M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-57.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,059 ARS 1.6M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-44.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$696 ARS 1.1M

$657 COP 2.1M

5.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

160

10.94

1362.52%

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

Last update for Bahia Blanca: 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

Bahia Blanca

$328 27.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 95.9% $314

Groceries & Markets

Bahia Blanca

$260 21.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Bahia Blanca

$172 14.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 1.8% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bahia Blanca

$167 13.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 26.7% $45

Eating Out

Bahia Blanca

$156 12.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 8.8% $14

Getting Around

Bahia Blanca

$67 5.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 39% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bahia Blanca

$61 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 5.4% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $510 in Bahia Blanca and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bahia Blanca pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Bahia Blanca vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $297, with Bahia Blanca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Bahia Blanca

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

2 h behind Bahia Blanca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,572

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,732 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bahia Blanca Medellin 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bahia Blanca
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

Bahia Blanca vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bahia Blanca wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bahia Blanca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Bahia Blanca, 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: $510 in Bahia Blanca versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,210 per month in Bahia Blanca versus $1,639 in Medellin – Bahia Blanca is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bahia Blanca runs roughly 31% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bahia Blanca is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.