Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barretos and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Barretos: $784 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Barretos
Learn more

Barretos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Barretos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$784

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $784 per month in Barretos vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Barretos $784
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,282 per month in Barretos vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Barretos $1,282
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,781 per month in Barretos vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Barretos $1,781
Medellin $3,186

Barretos is about 52% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barretos sits 42% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.65 R$35.53

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-17.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.29 R$119

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-52.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 R$30.10

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-40.74%

Cappuccino

$1.46 R$7.83

$3.01 COP 9,485

-51.50%

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

$1.21 R$6.44

$1.80 COP 5,660

-32.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 R$2.85

$1.41 COP 4,443

-62.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 R$11.84

$3.18 COP 9,990

-30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R$14.98

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-51.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$5.00

$1.51 COP 4,751

-38.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$9.98

$2.38 COP 7,480

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.86

$1.77 COP 5,573

-27.68%

Eggs

$2.38 R$12.70

$2.89 COP 9,093

-17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 R$54.8

$10.19 COP 32.1K

0.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R$24.48

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-53.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.77 R$52.2

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 R$11.99

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-43.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.55 COP 4,883

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 R$7.76

$2.18 COP 6,867

-33.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.78

$2.18 COP 6,870

-41.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.50

$1.96 COP 6,174

-37.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.21

$1.59 COP 5,000

-27.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 R$4.96

$1.15 COP 3,604

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.32

$1.24 COP 3,911

-34.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 R$12.46

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-41.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 R$40.88

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-44.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 R$7.72

$1.66 COP 5,221

-13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.96

$2.26 COP 7,103

7.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.34

$1.17 COP 3,674

-14.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.49 R$222

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-46.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.87

$1.27 COP 3,989

-13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 R$3.59

$2.05 COP 6,442

-67.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 R$43.35

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-5.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 R$4.55

$1.35 COP 4,237

-37.04%

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

$21.4K R$114.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-37.05%

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

$31.2K R$166.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-10.06%

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

$27.55 R$147

$170 COP 533.7K

-83.76%

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

$5.49 R$29.38

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-59.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 R$80.3

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-46.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.80 R$122

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-47.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.27 R$140

$17.19 COP 54.1K

52.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R$39.52

$6.91 COP 21.7K

6.95%

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

$412 R$2,201

$797 COP 2.5M

-48.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K R$54.0K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

10.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 R$320

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-29.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.43 R$120

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-61.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 R$445

$135 COP 424.6K

-38.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.2 R$354

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-32.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 R$1,547

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-76.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 R$1,220

$642 COP 2.0M

-64.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 R$3,888

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-64.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 R$2,598

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-51.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,430 R$7,646

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-65.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,019 R$5,449

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-46.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 R$2,770

$657 COP 2.1M

-21.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

10.94

-1.19%

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

Last update for Barretos: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barretos

$228 29.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 181% $413

Groceries & Markets

Barretos

$205 26.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 45% $92

Eating Out

Barretos

$111 14.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Barretos

$104 13.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 62% $65

Getting Around

Barretos

$50 6.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 87.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barretos

$48 6.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 340% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Barretos

$38 4.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 53.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in Barretos versus $1,208 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 27% 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 $22 in Barretos versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $297 – making Barretos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barretos

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

2 h behind Barretos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,485

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barretos Medellin 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barretos
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

Barretos vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $784 in Barretos, $1,639 in Medellin – roughly 109% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,176 per month in Barretos and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barretos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Barretos and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $784 in Barretos and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 109%.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Barretos, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Barretos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Barretos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Barretos. 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.