Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,731 in Birgu, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Birgu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Birgu versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Birgu $1,731
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,812 in Birgu versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Birgu $2,812
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,894 in Birgu versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Birgu $3,894
Medellin $3,186

Living in Birgu is roughly 6% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Birgu 27% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 €17.28

$8.09 COP 26.1K

138.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €78.4

$47.05 COP 151.7K

86.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 €10.55

$9.50 COP 30.6K

24.00%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.44

$3.01 COP 9,722

-9.63%

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

$2.18 €1.95

$1.80 COP 5,801

21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.41 COP 4,554

20.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 €4.16

$3.18 COP 10.2K

46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.51

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-12.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.51 COP 4,869

-10.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.38 COP 7,667

-45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.80

$1.77 COP 5,712

139.55%

Eggs

$4.08 €3.65

$2.89 COP 9,320

41.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 €7.50

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-17.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 €7.38

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-16.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 €13.80

$13.99 COP 45.1K

10.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.56

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-27.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.55 COP 5,005

-19.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.18 COP 7,039

26.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.18 COP 7,041

28.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.96 COP 6,328

13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.59 COP 5,125

4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.15 COP 3,694

98.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.24 COP 4,009

-26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 €6.02

$3.96 COP 12.8K

69.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 €7.25

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-40.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.66 COP 5,352

-9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.26 COP 7,281

5.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.17 COP 3,766

94.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.94 €12.48

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-81.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.14

$1.27 COP 4,089

351.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.05 COP 6,603

-44.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.73 €23.94

$8.55 COP 27.6K

212.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.35 COP 4,343

9.63%

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

$26.3K €23.6K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-22.74%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-3.90%

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

$101 €90.5

$170 COP 547.0K

-40.45%

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

$25.15 €22.52

$13.55 COP 43.7K

85.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.31 €29.83

$28.07 COP 90.5K

18.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.02 €39.43

$43.70 COP 140.9K

0.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.8 €59.8

$17.19 COP 55.4K

288.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.84

$6.91 COP 22.3K

42.98%

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

$372 €333

$797 COP 2.6M

-53.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,987 €1,780

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-78.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.02 €22.41

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-70.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.21 €29.74

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-42.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 €89.2

$135 COP 435.2K

-26.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.6

$97.9 COP 315.6K

12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 €897

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €720

$642 COP 2.1M

25.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 €3,257

$2,028 COP 6.5M

79.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 €1,377

$1,012 COP 3.3M

51.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,543

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-5.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,883 €2,582

$1,910 COP 6.2M

50.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,887 €1,690

$657 COP 2.1M

187.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

10.94

-73.49%

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

Last update for Birgu: 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

Birgu

$803 46.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 20.1% $162

Groceries & Markets

Birgu

$278 16%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 7% $19

Eating Out

Birgu

$271 15.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 37.5% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgu

$159 9.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 32.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Birgu

$121 7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 40.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Birgu

$64 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 9.8% $6.2

Getting Around

Birgu

$34 2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 171% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,001 in Birgu and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Birgu vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $278 vs $297, with Birgu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Birgu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

6 h behind Birgu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Birgu Medellin 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Birgu
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

Birgu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Birgu. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Birgu is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,001 in Birgu versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 82% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $372 in Birgu versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Birgu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.