Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balbriggan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,676 in Balbriggan, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
Learn more

Balbriggan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,676

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,676 in Balbriggan versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Balbriggan $2,676
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,956 in Balbriggan versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Balbriggan $3,956
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,236 in Balbriggan versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Balbriggan $5,236
Medellin $3,186

Living in Balbriggan is roughly 63% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Balbriggan 97% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.33

$8.09 COP 26.1K

180.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 €88.5

$47.05 COP 151.9K

109.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.13

$9.50 COP 30.7K

42.42%

Cappuccino

$5.01 €4.49

$3.01 COP 9,735

66.45%

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

$2.97 €2.66

$1.80 COP 5,809

65.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.41 COP 4,561

59.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.81

$3.18 COP 10.3K

138.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 €7.12

$5.75 COP 18.6K

38.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.51 COP 4,876

11.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.38 COP 7,678

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.77 COP 5,720

16.38%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.83

$2.89 COP 9,333

9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 €9.01

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-1.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.55

$9.87 COP 31.9K

30.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €14.54

$13.99 COP 45.2K

16.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-30.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.55 COP 5,012

47.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.44

$2.18 COP 7,048

24.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 €4.56

$2.18 COP 7,051

133.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.96 COP 6,337

-2.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.59 COP 5,132

-3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.15 COP 3,699

19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.24 COP 4,014

68.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.36 €19.14

$3.96 COP 12.8K

439.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 €11.98

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.66 COP 5,359

68.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.26 COP 7,291

9.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.17 COP 3,771

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €119

$77.4 COP 249.8K

72.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.51

$1.27 COP 4,094

296.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.38

$2.05 COP 6,612

-24.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.74 €33.82

$8.55 COP 27.6K

341.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.35 COP 4,349

54.07%

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

$39.4K €35.3K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

15.68%

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

$38.1K €34.1K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

9.79%

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

$171 €153

$170 COP 547.8K

0.65%

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

$16.82 €15.07

$13.55 COP 43.8K

24.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 €40.25

$28.07 COP 90.6K

59.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.72

$43.70 COP 141.1K

21.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 €11.89

$6.91 COP 22.3K

92.04%

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

$1,259 €1,128

$797 COP 2.6M

58.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,150 €4,615

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €98.1

$84.7 COP 273.5K

29.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.97 €25.06

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-51.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 €55.0

$135 COP 435.8K

-54.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$97.9 COP 316.0K

34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,392

$1,208 COP 3.9M

28.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 €1,209

$642 COP 2.1M

110.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 €2,269

$2,028 COP 6.5M

24.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 €1,935

$1,012 COP 3.3M

113.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 €3,237

$1,910 COP 6.2M

89.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,292 €2,054

$657 COP 2.1M

248.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

10.94

-65.17%

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

Last update for Balbriggan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balbriggan

$1.3K 50.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 52.4% $708

Eating Out

Balbriggan

$357 13.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.5% $187

Groceries & Markets

Balbriggan

$353 13.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 15.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balbriggan

$232 8.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 9.1% $21

Getting Around

Balbriggan

$156 5.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 40% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Balbriggan

$149 5.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 13.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Balbriggan

$80 3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 27.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,553 in Balbriggan and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balbriggan pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Balbriggan vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

21:24 9:24 PM

5 h behind Balbriggan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,322

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 = 2.77 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balbriggan Medellin 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Balbriggan
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

Balbriggan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,676 in Balbriggan and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Balbriggan is about 3.5 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: $1,553 in Balbriggan versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Balbriggan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $99 in Balbriggan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,676 in Balbriggan, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Balbriggan. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Balbriggan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.