Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alcala la Real

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Alcala la Real: $1,614 and $1,579 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Alcala la Real
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Alcala la Real Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Alcala la Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alcala la Real

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 la Real actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,579 in Alcala la Real.

Medellin $1,614
Alcala la Real $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,353 in Alcala la Real.

Medellin $2,402
Alcala la Real $2,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $3,128 in Alcala la Real.

Medellin $3,190
Alcala la Real $3,128

Living in Medellin is roughly 2% more expensive than in Alcala la Real, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Alcala la Real 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.37 €11.89

-40.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$68.1 €60.6

-32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.00 €8.00

5.56%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.84 €1.64

69.02%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.12 €1.89

-13.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.61 €1.43

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.97 €2.64

2.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.47 €3.08

58.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.14 €1.01

27.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.68 €1.50

40.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.57 €1.40

7.01%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.21 €2.86

-10.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$13.48 €11.99

-24.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$8.29 €7.38

14.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$15.95 €14.19

-11.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.38 €2.11

71.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.98 €1.76

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.88 €1.67

15.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.61 €2.32

-11.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.84 €1.64

4.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.08 €1.85

-21.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.45 €1.29

-22.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.75 €0.67

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$6.68 €5.94

-40.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.94 €5.29

124.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.17 €1.04

45.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.97 €1.75

20.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.65 €1.47

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$32.65 €29.04

134.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.66 €1.48

-20.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.06 €0.94

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$14.75 €13.12

-42.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.82 €1.62

-28.57%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$35.7K €31.7K

-21.55%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$28.7K €25.6K

23.29%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$118 €105

45.84%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$16.13 €14.35

-17.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$32.94 €29.30

-12.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$44.43 €39.52

1.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$15.82 €14.08

7.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$8.02 €7.14

-21.70%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$552 €491

39.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,151 €7,251

10.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$89.9 €80.0

-3.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$38.88 €34.58

46.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$96.9 €86.2

40.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$112 €99.7

-12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$891 €793

18.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$693 €616

-11.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,345 €1,196

40.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,008 €897

1.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,283 €2,921

23.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,174 €1,934

-22.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.34

227.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alcala la Real: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Alcala la Real

$693 43.9% 12.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Alcala la Real

$268 17% 9.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Alcala la Real

$167 10.6% 22% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Alcala la Real

$152 9.6% 10.6% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Alcala la Real

$193 12.2% 14.5% $24

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Alcala la Real

$46 2.9% 50.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Alcala la Real

$60 3.8% 4.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $891 in Alcala la Real. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $68.0 in Alcala la Real. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $268, with Alcala la Real cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Alcala la Real

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

21,587

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Alcala la Real 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alcala la Real

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 la Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Alcala la Real differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,579 including rent). Alcala la Real is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $2,368 in Alcala la Real 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $891 in Alcala la Real. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alcala la Real runs roughly 134% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $552 in Alcala la Real. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,579 in Alcala la Real versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alcala la Real but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala la Real 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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Alcala la Real are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alcala la Real gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.