Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bakersfield, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,855 in Bakersfield, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Bakersfield, CA
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Bakersfield, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bakersfield, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,855

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,855 in Bakersfield, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bakersfield, CA $2,855
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,902 in Bakersfield, CA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bakersfield, CA $3,902
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,949 in Bakersfield, CA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bakersfield, CA $4,949
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bakersfield, CA is roughly 74% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bakersfield, CA 110% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.64 $18.64

$8.09 COP 26.1K

130.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 $64.8

$47.05 COP 151.7K

37.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.10 $14.10

$9.50 COP 30.6K

48.42%

Cappuccino

$5.74 $5.74

$3.01 COP 9,722

90.70%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.80 COP 5,801

51.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.41 COP 4,554

42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.18 COP 10.2K

85.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.75 COP 18.5K

1.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.51 COP 4,869

-27.81%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.38 COP 7,667

74.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$1.77 COP 5,712

186.44%

Eggs

$3.29 $3.29

$2.89 COP 9,320

13.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.19 COP 32.9K

25.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$9.87 COP 31.8K

35.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$13.99 COP 45.1K

13.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.97 COP 12.8K

4.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.55 COP 5,005

31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.18 COP 7,039

81.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.18 COP 7,041

73.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.96 COP 6,328

9.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.59 COP 5,125

52.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.15 COP 3,694

84.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.24 COP 4,009

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$3.96 COP 12.8K

192.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.80 $17.80

$13.68 COP 44.1K

30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.66 COP 5,352

18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.26 COP 7,281

111.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.17 COP 3,766

38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-24.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.27 COP 4,089

138.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.05 COP 6,603

0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.35 COP 4,343

12.59%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-19.28%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-21.69%

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

$390 $390

$170 COP 547.0K

130.12%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$13.55 COP 43.7K

338.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.9 $74.9

$28.07 COP 90.5K

166.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.71 $32.71

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-25.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 $24.81

$17.19 COP 55.4K

44.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$6.91 COP 22.3K

118.67%

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

$1,501 $1,501

$797 COP 2.6M

88.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-29.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.66 $47.66

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$135 COP 435.2K

-26.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$97.9 COP 315.6K

23.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,208 COP 3.9M

27.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 $1,311

$642 COP 2.1M

104.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 $1,828

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 $1,834

$1,012 COP 3.3M

81.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,742 $2,742

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-34.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$1,910 COP 6.2M

27.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 $3,743

$657 COP 2.1M

469.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

10.94

-41.22%

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

Last update for Bakersfield, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bakersfield, CA

$1.3K 45.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 51.1% $669

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bakersfield, CA

$525 18.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 59.7% $313

Groceries & Markets

Bakersfield, CA

$411 14.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 27.7% $114

Eating Out

Bakersfield, CA

$320 11.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 47.1% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Bakersfield, CA

$147 5.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 14.9% $22

Getting Around

Bakersfield, CA

$78 2.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 20% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bakersfield, CA

$63 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 8.6% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Bakersfield, CA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bakersfield, CA pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Bakersfield, CA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bakersfield, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

09:15 9:15 AM

3 h ahead of Bakersfield, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

373,640

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Bakersfield, CA Medellin 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bakersfield, CA
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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

Bakersfield, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Bakersfield, CA is about 5.7 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: $1,536 in Bakersfield, CA versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $65 in Bakersfield, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,855 per month in Bakersfield, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,855 in Bakersfield, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Bakersfield, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Bakersfield, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.