Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Barranquilla: $1,439 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monterrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barranquilla and in Monterrey

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 Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,439 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,439
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $2,247 per month in Barranquilla vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,247
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $3,056 per month in Barranquilla vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,056
Monterrey $3,417

Barranquilla is about 11% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Barranquilla and Monterrey sit above the global median – Barranquilla by 7%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 COP 27.6K

$13.75 MX$252

-37.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 COP 198.0K

$50.2 MX$921

23.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.40 COP 42.7K

$11.13 MX$204

20.40%

Cappuccino

$2.62 COP 8,356

$4.04 MX$74.2

-35.15%

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

$1.35 COP 4,298

$1.70 MX$31.29

-20.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 COP 3,929

$0.99 MX$18.17

24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 COP 9,679

$2.41 MX$44.21

26.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 COP 24.5K

$4.48 MX$82.3

71.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 COP 2,875

$1.92 MX$35.31

-53.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 COP 3,966

$2.89 MX$53.1

-57.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.94 MX$35.67

-21.65%

Eggs

$2.04 COP 6,509

$2.50 MX$45.90

-18.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.77 COP 15.2K

$12.30 MX$226

-61.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.28 COP 55.1K

$9.33 MX$171

85.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.84 COP 21.8K

$13.07 MX$240

-47.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 COP 6,985

$3.38 MX$62.1

-35.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 COP 3,031

$1.58 MX$29.02

-39.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.58 COP 1,862

$2.20 MX$40.45

-73.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 COP 5,948

$2.45 MX$44.89

-23.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 COP 3,831

$2.26 MX$41.47

-46.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 COP 3,019

$2.74 MX$50.4

-65.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 COP 3,971

$1.53 MX$28.09

-18.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 COP 3,017

$1.26 MX$23.16

-24.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 COP 16.0K

$4.84 MX$88.9

3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 COP 39.2K

$13.59 MX$249

-9.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,783

$1.91 MX$35.01

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 COP 14.4K

$3.06 MX$56.3

47.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 COP 3,615

$0.80 MX$14.60

41.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 COP 10.6K

$1.62 MX$29.78

104.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 COP 9,582

$1.10 MX$20.17

173.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.51 COP 49.4K

$10.97 MX$201

41.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,122

$1.52 MX$27.93

-15.13%

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

$21.3K COP 68.0M

$21.4K MX$392.4K

-0.19%

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

$27.9K COP 88.9M

$25.5K MX$467.6K

9.55%

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

$148 COP 471.7K

$120 MX$2,198

23.65%

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

$14.29 COP 45.5K

$27.08 MX$497

-47.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.19 COP 102.6K

$26.70 MX$490

20.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 COP 105.8K

$31.15 MX$572

6.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 COP 14.2K

$5.14 MX$94.4

-13.04%

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

$301 COP 959.1K

$688 MX$12.6K

-56.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,623 COP 14.7M

$11.4K MX$209.8K

-59.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 COP 346.3K

$71.9 MX$1,321

51.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.51 COP 148.2K

$43.30 MX$795

7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 COP 577.5K

$112 MX$2,059

61.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$245 COP 781.3K

$122 MX$2,236

101.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 COP 2.4M

$957 MX$17.6K

-20.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 COP 1.6M

$670 MX$12.3K

-27.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.5M

$1,887 MX$34.7K

-57.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 COP 2.8M

$1,305 MX$24.0K

-32.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,793 COP 5.7M

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-56.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$616 COP 2.0M

$2,437 MX$44.7K

-74.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 COP 1.6M

$1,133 MX$20.8K

-55.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-15.18%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barranquilla

$489 33.9%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 37.1% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$262 18.2%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 40% $105

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$248 17.2%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 25.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$195 13.5%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 10.8% $21

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$182 12.6%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 23% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$42 2.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 1.7% $0.7

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$23 * 1.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 83.8% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $760 in Barranquilla versus $957 in Monterrey. 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 126% higher in Monterrey, 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 $62.0 in Barranquilla versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries tell a different story – $248 in Barranquilla vs $312 in Monterrey – so Barranquilla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

1 h behind Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barranquilla Monterrey 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barranquilla
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 12% 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 $2,158 per month in Barranquilla and $2,411 in Monterrey. 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 $1,439 in Barranquilla and $1,607 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $301 per month in Barranquilla and $688 in Monterrey. 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 $1,439, than in Monterrey at $1,607. In Barranquilla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barranquilla costs $1,439 versus $1,607 in Monterrey. 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, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.