Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barreiras and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Barreiras: $829 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Barreiras
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Barreiras Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Barreiras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$829

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $829 in Barreiras versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Barreiras $829
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,316 in Barreiras versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Barreiras $1,316
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,803 in Barreiras versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Barreiras $1,803
Medellin $3,249

Living in Barreiras costs roughly 51% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barreiras is 39% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.60 R$30.76

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-32.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.98 R$165

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-35.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 R$40.34

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-22.39%

Cappuccino

$1.90 R$10.44

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-39.30%

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

$1.26 R$6.89

$1.77 COP 5,728

-28.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$4.06

$1.42 COP 4,620

-47.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 R$10.43

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-39.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R$15.48

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-50.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.54

$1.53 COP 4,971

-33.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.72

$2.29 COP 7,431

-30.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.63

$1.94 COP 6,308

-37.63%

Eggs

$2.09 R$11.46

$3.07 COP 9,945

-31.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 R$48.40

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-11.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.14 R$22.71

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-60.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.98 R$43.82

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-42.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 R$11.74

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-47.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.80

$1.53 COP 4,957

-18.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$2.10 COP 6,825

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$2.29 COP 7,439

-35.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.44

$2.11 COP 6,841

-44.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.69

$1.71 COP 5,543

-39.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$4.21

$1.17 COP 3,795

-34.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$4.21

$1.58 COP 5,125

-51.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$13.05

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-39.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 R$40.26

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-47.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.76 COP 5,714

-32.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R$10.67

$2.71 COP 8,796

-28.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.19

$1.18 COP 3,826

-19.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.14 R$226

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-46.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.45

$1.81 COP 5,860

-34.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R$4.43

$2.13 COP 6,906

-61.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.58 R$41.58

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-6.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.72

$1.28 COP 4,136

-4.69%

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

$21.8K R$119.7K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-36.68%

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

$31.6K R$173.3K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-7.49%

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

$71.6 R$393

$178 COP 576.4K

-59.74%

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

$11.56 R$63.4

$13.89 COP 45.0K

-16.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.43 R$107

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-36.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.02 R$132

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-42.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 R$143

$16.80 COP 54.5K

55.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 R$38.14

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-6.96%

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

$259 R$1,423

$790 COP 2.6M

-67.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,653 R$36.5K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-45.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R$280

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-40.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.31 R$260

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 R$457

$138 COP 448.7K

-39.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.3 R$369

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-31.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$331 R$1,818

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-75.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 R$1,270

$667 COP 2.2M

-65.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 R$3,450

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-68.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 R$2,437

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-57.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,572 R$8,630

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-61.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 R$6,189

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-41.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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 Barreiras: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barreiras

$231 27.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 188% $436

Groceries & Markets

Barreiras

$183 22%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 68.4% $125

Eating Out

Barreiras

$113 13.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 53% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Barreiras

$112 13.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 53.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barreiras

$103 12.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 117% $120

Getting Around

Barreiras

$50 6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 86.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Barreiras

$38 4.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 50% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $331 in Barreiras and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Barreiras vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $307 per month, with Barreiras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barreiras

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

23:56 11:56 PM

2 h behind Barreiras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,734

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barreiras Medellin 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barreiras
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

Barreiras vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barreiras is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,244 in Barreiras and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $331 in Barreiras versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $259 in Barreiras versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $829 in Barreiras versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Barreiras but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Barreiras 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 Barreiras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.