Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,909 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
Learn more

Alcala de Henares Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alcala de Henares

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Alcala de Henares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,909 in Alcala de Henares.

Medellin $1,639
Alcala de Henares $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

Medellin $2,413
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,537 in Alcala de Henares.

Medellin $3,186
Alcala de Henares $3,537

Living in Medellin costs roughly 14% less than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Alcala de Henares 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.95 €15.18

-52.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$65.8 €59.0

-28.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$11.11 €9.95

-14.49%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.66 €2.39

13.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$3.22 €2.88

-44.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.95 €1.74

-27.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.86 €3.45

-17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.88 €4.37

17.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.21 €1.08

24.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.56 €1.40

52.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.71 €1.53

3.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.88 €2.58

0.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$22.52 €20.17

-54.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$9.16 €8.21

7.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$17.66 €15.81

-20.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.79 €2.50

42.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.38 €2.13

-34.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.19 €1.96

-0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.60 €2.33

-16.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.14 €1.92

-8.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.16 €1.93

-26.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.51 €1.35

-23.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.75 €0.67

65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.06 €5.43

-34.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$7.80 €6.99

75.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.18 €1.06

40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.14 €1.91

5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.47 €1.31

-20.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$45.73 €40.95

69.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.70 €3.32

-65.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.93 €1.73

6.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$22.94 €20.55

-62.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.72 €1.54

-21.51%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$32.8K €29.4K

3.86%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$30.6K €27.4K

13.28%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$188 €169

-9.90%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$19.42 €17.39

-30.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$30.79 €27.58

-8.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$41.53 €37.19

5.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$8.27 €7.40

107.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.49 €8.50

-27.19%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$182 €163

336.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,892 €5,277

54.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$73.7 €66.0

14.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$35.88 €32.14

61.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$77.1 €69.1

75.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$95.7 €85.7

2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$983 €881

22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$854 €765

-24.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,791 €1,604

13.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,156 €1,035

-12.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,266 €3,821

-2.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,423 €3,066

-44.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,741 €1,559

-62.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.14

248.41%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Alcala de Henares

$854 44.7% 33.1% $212

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Alcala de Henares

$314 16.4% 5.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.5% 12.9% $27

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Alcala de Henares

$251 13.1% 47.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.7% 24.8% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Alcala de Henares

$65 3.4% 30.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Alcala de Henares

$61 3.2% 5.2% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $66 in Alcala de Henares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $314 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

199,184

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Alcala de Henares 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alcala de Henares

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

Medellin vs Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,909 in Alcala de Henares, so Medellin is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $182 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Alcala de Henares. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Alcala de Henares on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.