Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barreiro and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Barreiro and in Medellin: $1,672 and $1,614 a month, rent and utilities included.

Barreiro
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,672
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,672 per month in Barreiro vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Barreiro $1,672
  • Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,346 per month in Barreiro vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Barreiro $2,346
  • Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,019 per month in Barreiro vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Barreiro $3,019
  • Medellin $3,190

Barreiro costs about 4% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barreiro and Medellin sit above the global median – Barreiro by 24%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.77 €14.03
$7.93 COP 25.2K
98.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.47 €39.56
$46.13 COP 146.3K
-3.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.68 €8.61
$9.50 COP 30.1K
1.89%
Cappuccino
$2.46 €2.19
$3.11 COP 9,866
-20.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.83 COP 5,800
16.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.38 COP 4,360
57.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 €2.96
$3.05 COP 9,672
8.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 €2.91
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-40.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 €0.93
$1.45 COP 4,600
-28.28%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 €1.30
$2.36 COP 7,496
-38.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 €1.45
$1.68 COP 5,328
-2.98%
Eggs
$3.30 €2.93
$2.86 COP 9,077
15.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.12 €8.11
$10.19 COP 32.3K
-10.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 €7.11
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-16.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.17 €13.49
$14.04 COP 44.5K
8.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 €2.46
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-32.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 €1.17
$1.50 COP 4,742
-12.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.04 €1.82
$2.17 COP 6,891
-5.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.48 €1.31
$2.31 COP 7,310
-35.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.93 COP 6,113
-16.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 €1.46
$1.64 COP 5,196
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.69 €1.50
$1.13 COP 3,571
49.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 €0.60
$1.25 COP 3,954
-45.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.78 €5.14
$3.99 COP 12.6K
44.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.19 €5.50
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-53.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 €1.12
$1.70 COP 5,384
-25.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.98
$2.37 COP 7,525
-53.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.42 €1.27
$1.21 COP 3,827
17.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.31 €39.41
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-42.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 €2.03
$1.32 COP 4,179
73.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 €0.68
$2.14 COP 6,774
-64.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.02 €15.14
$8.47 COP 26.8K
100.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 €1.82
$1.30 COP 4,114
56.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.4K
$28.0K COP 88.7M
22.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.7K €33.5K
$35.4K COP 112.3M
6.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$110 €97.7
$172 COP 545.6K
-36.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.19 €18.85
$13.37 COP 42.4K
58.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.54 €31.62
$28.73 COP 91.1K
23.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.97 €32.89
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-18.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.55 €12.05
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-20.48%
Cinema Ticket
$8.88 €7.90
$6.28 COP 19.9K
41.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$604 €538
$770 COP 2.4M
-21.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K €9,914
$9,011 COP 28.6M
23.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.7 €69.1
$86.4 COP 274.0K
-10.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.19 €33.08
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-34.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.9 €75.5
$137 COP 432.9K
-37.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 €93.2
$97.9 COP 310.4K
6.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$958 €852
$1,055 COP 3.3M
-9.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 €706
$616 COP 2.0M
28.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,473 €1,311
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-22.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,044 €929
$1,023 COP 3.2M
2.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,877 €3,449
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-4.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,745 €2,442
$1,678 COP 5.3M
63.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barreiro
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$910 €810
$652 COP 2.1M
39.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.67
10.94
-66.45%

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

Last update for Barreiro: 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
Barreiro
$794
Medellin
$616 22.4% $178
Groceries & Markets
Barreiro
$239
Medellin
$295 23.5% $56
Eating Out
Barreiro
$225
Medellin
$168 25.2% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barreiro
$167
Medellin
$214 28.6% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Barreiro
$137
Medellin
$170 24.1% $33
Getting Around
Barreiro
$56
Medellin
$93 66.3% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Barreiro
$55
Medellin
$58 5.6% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Barreiro 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 40% higher in Barreiro, 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 $44.00 in Barreiro versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $295 – making Barreiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Barreiro
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
15:05 3:05 PM
09:05 9:05 AM
6 h behind Barreiro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
78,359
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barreiro Medellin 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barreiro
  • 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
Barreiro vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Barreiro and in Medellin compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,672 in Barreiro, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Barreiro compared to Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,508 per month in Barreiro and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Barreiro and Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Barreiro or Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,672 in Barreiro and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 4%.
How do commuting costs compare in Barreiro and in Medellin?
Public transport costs about 73% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Barreiro at $1,672. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barreiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Barreiro and Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Barreiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $1,672 in Barreiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Barreiro or Medellin safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Barreiro and Medellin?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barreiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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