Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,439 in Barranquilla, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Barranquilla despite lower rent and utilities.

70

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,439

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barranquilla and in Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,439 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,439
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $2,247 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,247
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $3,056 per month in Barranquilla vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,056
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Barranquilla costs about 12% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Barranquilla sits 7% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 COP 27.6K

$9.98 R$49.83

-13.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 COP 198.0K

$40.34 R$201

53.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.40 COP 42.7K

$8.48 R$42.35

58.02%

Cappuccino

$2.62 COP 8,356

$2.36 R$11.80

11.02%

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

$1.35 COP 4,298

$1.63 R$8.13

-17.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 COP 3,929

$1.01 R$5.06

21.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 COP 9,679

$2.44 R$12.19

24.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 COP 24.5K

$3.69 R$18.43

108.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 COP 2,875

$1.15 R$5.72

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 COP 3,966

$2.07 R$10.34

-40.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.29 R$6.42

17.83%

Eggs

$2.04 COP 6,509

$2.27 R$11.32

-10.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.77 COP 15.2K

$11.00 R$54.9

-56.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.28 COP 55.1K

$4.31 R$21.51

300.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.84 COP 21.8K

$9.74 R$48.63

-29.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 COP 6,985

$2.83 R$14.12

-22.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 COP 3,031

$1.84 R$9.17

-48.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.58 COP 1,862

$1.60 R$7.96

-63.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 COP 5,948

$1.80 R$9.00

3.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 COP 3,831

$1.26 R$6.28

-4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 COP 3,019

$1.07 R$5.34

-11.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 COP 3,971

$0.75 R$3.75

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 COP 3,017

$0.66 R$3.29

43.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 COP 16.0K

$3.05 R$15.21

64.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 COP 39.2K

$8.18 R$40.84

50.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,783

$1.19 R$5.92

26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 COP 14.4K

$2.39 R$11.92

89.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 COP 3,615

$1.01 R$5.06

11.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 COP 10.6K

$1.27 R$6.33

160.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 COP 9,582

$0.90 R$4.51

234.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.51 COP 49.4K

$9.44 R$47.13

64.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,122

$1.33 R$6.65

-3.01%

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

$21.3K COP 68.0M

$23.4K R$117.0K

-8.96%

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

$27.9K COP 88.9M

$33.6K R$167.6K

-16.90%

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

$148 COP 471.7K

$134 R$666

10.88%

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

$14.29 COP 45.5K

$12.23 R$61.0

16.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.19 COP 102.6K

$22.65 R$113

42.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 COP 105.8K

$31.56 R$158

5.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 COP 14.2K

$8.23 R$41.07

-45.69%

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

$301 COP 959.1K

$603 R$3,011

-50.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,623 COP 14.7M

$13.2K R$66.1K

-65.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 COP 346.3K

$41.62 R$208

161.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.51 COP 148.2K

$49.94 R$249

-6.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 COP 577.5K

$75.0 R$375

141.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$245 COP 781.3K

$68.3 R$341

258.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 COP 2.4M

$905 R$4,519

-16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 COP 1.6M

$527 R$2,633

-7.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.5M

$1,346 R$6,720

-40.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 COP 2.8M

$774 R$3,865

14.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,793 COP 5.7M

$3,981 R$19.9K

-54.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,562 R$7,798

-60.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 COP 1.6M

$643 R$3,210

-21.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-16.18%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barranquilla

$489 33.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 7.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$262 18.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 59.6% $156

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$248 17.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 13.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$195 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 13.4% $26

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$182 12.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 9.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$42 2.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 14% $5.9

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$23 * 1.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 162% $37

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 28% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Barranquilla versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

2 h ahead of Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barranquilla Rio de Janeiro 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barranquilla
Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barranquilla costs about 12% more than Rio de Janeiro, 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 $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, 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 $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $301 per month in Barranquilla and $603 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Barranquilla at $1,439. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barranquilla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,285 versus $1,439 in Barranquilla. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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