Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Barranquilla: $1,473 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,473

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,473 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,473
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,280 per month in Barranquilla vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,280
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,087 per month in Barranquilla vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,087
Medellin $3,190

Barranquilla is about 9% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Barranquilla and Medellin sit above the global median – Barranquilla by 9%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

16.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 COP 198.5K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

35.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.02 COP 44.5K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

47.58%

Cappuccino

$2.73 COP 8,664

$3.11 COP 9,866

-12.22%

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

$1.33 COP 4,230

$1.83 COP 5,800

-27.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,016

$1.38 COP 4,360

-7.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 COP 10.1K

$3.05 COP 9,672

4.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 COP 24.2K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

38.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 COP 2,897

$1.45 COP 4,600

-37.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 COP 3,866

$2.36 COP 7,496

-48.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,823

$1.68 COP 5,328

-9.52%

Eggs

$2.16 COP 6,836

$2.86 COP 9,077

-24.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 COP 16.2K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-49.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.67 COP 56.0K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

85.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 COP 21.5K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-51.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,823

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-47.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,031

$1.50 COP 4,742

-36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.65 COP 2,047

$2.17 COP 6,891

-70.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,804

$2.31 COP 7,310

-20.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 COP 3,931

$1.93 COP 6,113

-35.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,055

$1.64 COP 5,196

-41.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 COP 3,911

$1.13 COP 3,571

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 COP 3,052

$1.25 COP 3,954

-23.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 COP 16.3K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

29.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 COP 39.6K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-6.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 COP 4,855

$1.70 COP 5,384

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 COP 15.1K

$2.37 COP 7,525

100.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,753

$1.21 COP 3,827

-2.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 COP 10.9K

$1.32 COP 4,179

159.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 COP 9,743

$2.14 COP 6,774

43.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.45 COP 49.0K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

82.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,178

$1.30 COP 4,114

1.54%

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

$22.3K COP 70.8M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-20.18%

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

$29.3K COP 93.0M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-17.22%

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

$149 COP 473.8K

$172 COP 545.6K

-13.16%

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

$14.84 COP 47.0K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

10.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.41 COP 102.8K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

12.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 COP 108.8K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-24.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 COP 14.5K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-27.23%

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

$317 COP 1.0M

$770 COP 2.4M

-58.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,749 COP 15.1M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-47.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 COP 362.0K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

32.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 COP 151.2K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$189 COP 600.2K

$137 COP 432.9K

38.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 COP 797.8K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

157.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 COP 2.5M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-26.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 COP 1.6M

$616 COP 2.0M

-19.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.5M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-57.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$878 COP 2.8M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-14.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 COP 5.8M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-54.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$641 COP 2.0M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-61.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 COP 1.6M

$652 COP 2.1M

-22.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.59%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: 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

Barranquilla

$495 33.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 24.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$271 18.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 37.3% $101

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$253 17.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 16.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$197 13.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 8.9% $17

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$191 12.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 11.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$43 3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 33% $14

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$24 * 1.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 297% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Barranquilla versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Barranquilla versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Barranquilla vs $295 in Medellin – so Barranquilla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

Same time as Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barranquilla Medellin 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barranquilla
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

Barranquilla vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 10% more than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,209 per month in Barranquilla and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barranquilla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,473 in Barranquilla and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $317 per month in Barranquilla and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Barranquilla, where all-in costs run around $1,473, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Barranquilla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barranquilla costs $1,473 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Barranquilla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.