Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,835 in Barbados, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Barbados despite lower rent and utilities.

89

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,835

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Barbados versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Barbados $1,835
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,058 in Barbados versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Barbados $4,058
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,280 in Barbados versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Barbados $6,280
Medellin $3,186

Living in Barbados is roughly 12% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barbados 35% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.59 BBD 49.18

$8.09 COP 26.1K

203.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 BBD 224

$47.05 COP 151.9K

137.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 BBD 25.15

$9.50 COP 30.7K

32.32%

Cappuccino

$4.63 BBD 9.26

$3.01 COP 9,735

53.82%

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

$2.17 BBD 4.34

$1.80 COP 5,809

20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BBD 3.60

$1.41 COP 4,561

27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 BBD 6.16

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 BBD 8.06

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-29.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.61 BBD 7.22

$1.51 COP 4,876

139.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 BBD 5.19

$2.38 COP 7,678

9.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 BBD 7.98

$1.77 COP 5,720

125.42%

Eggs

$6.08 BBD 12.16

$2.89 COP 9,333

110.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 BBD 13.14

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-35.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 BBD 20.14

$9.87 COP 31.9K

2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 BBD 22.75

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-18.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 BBD 10.08

$3.97 COP 12.8K

26.95%

Banana (1kg)

$4.32 BBD 8.63

$1.55 COP 5,012

178.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 BBD 10.71

$2.18 COP 7,048

145.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.66 BBD 11.32

$2.18 COP 7,051

159.63%

Potato (1kg)

$6.94 BBD 13.88

$1.96 COP 6,337

254.08%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 BBD 9.50

$1.59 COP 5,132

198.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.70 BBD 5.40

$1.15 COP 3,699

134.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 BBD 5.37

$1.24 COP 4,014

116.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 BBD 13.74

$3.96 COP 12.8K

73.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.80 BBD 31.61

$13.68 COP 44.2K

15.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 BBD 3.43

$1.66 COP 5,359

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 BBD 6.10

$2.26 COP 7,291

34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 BBD 3.48

$1.17 COP 3,771

48.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 BBD 9.97

$1.27 COP 4,094

292.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BBD 6.66

$2.05 COP 6,612

62.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 BBD 3.97

$1.35 COP 4,349

47.41%

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

$49.2K BBD 98.3K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

44.34%

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

$39.2K BBD 78.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

13.14%

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

$101 BBD 203

$170 COP 547.8K

-40.28%

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

$49.42 BBD 98.8

$13.55 COP 43.8K

264.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.9 BBD 174

$28.07 COP 90.6K

209.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 BBD 147

$43.70 COP 141.1K

68.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$8.66 BBD 17.32

$6.91 COP 22.3K

25.33%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.91 BBD 91.8

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-45.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.07 BBD 40.13

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-65.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 BBD 122

$135 COP 435.8K

-54.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 BBD 1,309

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-45.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 BBD 1,330

$642 COP 2.1M

3.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 BBD 3,629

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-10.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,391 BBD 6,782

$1,012 COP 3.3M

235.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 BBD 2,636

$657 COP 2.1M

100.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Barbados: 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

Barbados

$665 36.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 3.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$427 23.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 30.4% $130

Eating Out

Barbados

$329 17.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.5% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$238 13%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 11.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$91 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 36.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 196% $112

Getting Around

Barbados

$29 * 1.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 227% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $655 in Barbados and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barbados pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $112 in Barbados vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $427 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h behind Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BBD – Barbados Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇧 Barbados Dollar ($)

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BBD (1 BBD = 0.448 EUR).

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 BBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbados Medellin 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
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

Barbados vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,835 in Barbados and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barbados is about 2 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: $655 in Barbados 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 $112 in Barbados. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,835 per month in Barbados versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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