Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bahia Blanca

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia Blanca: $1,210 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Bahia Blanca
Learn more

Bahia Blanca Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bahia Blanca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bahia Blanca

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 Bahia Blanca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,210 in Bahia Blanca.

Medellin $1,639
Bahia Blanca $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,033 in Bahia Blanca.

Medellin $2,413
Bahia Blanca $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,857 in Bahia Blanca.

Medellin $3,186
Bahia Blanca $2,857

Living in Medellin is roughly 36% more expensive than in Bahia Blanca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bahia Blanca is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.61 ARS 13.3K

-6.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$56.1 ARS 86.7K

-16.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.38 ARS 12.9K

13.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$2.76 ARS 4,263

9.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$2.56 ARS 3,957

-29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$1.95 ARS 3,020

-27.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.24 ARS 1,911

156.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.22 ARS 3,427

159.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.63 ARS 2,520

-7.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$0.97 ARS 1,491

145.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$3.61 ARS 5,574

-50.97%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$2.80 ARS 4,325

3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.83 ARS 15.2K

3.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.61 ARS 10.2K

49.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$12.42 ARS 19.2K

12.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.21 ARS 3,416

79.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$2.41 ARS 3,725

-35.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.68 ARS 2,601

29.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$3.10 ARS 4,788

-29.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$1.55 ARS 2,402

26.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$0.98 ARS 1,513

62.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.81 ARS 2,792

-36.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$2.13 ARS 3,294

-41.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.18 ARS 6,453

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.08 ARS 7,855

169.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.47 ARS 2,273

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$1.72 ARS 2,665

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$1.19 ARS 1,836

-1.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$53.5 ARS 82.6K

44.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$1.47 ARS 2,264

-13.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$1.52 ARS 2,353

34.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.82 ARS 8,995

46.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.11 ARS 1,714

21.62%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$21.7K ARS 33.5M

57.16%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$27.6K ARS 42.7M

25.40%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$126 ARS 195.4K

34.13%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$15.10 ARS 23.3K

-10.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$25.18 ARS 38.9K

11.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$41.75 ARS 64.5K

4.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$20.36 ARS 31.5K

-15.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.53 ARS 14.7K

-27.49%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$104 ARS 161.4K

662.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,190 ARS 6.5M

117.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$79.5 ARS 122.9K

6.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$73.2 ARS 113.1K

-20.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$118 ARS 182.5K

14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$111 ARS 172.3K

-12.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$510 ARS 788.1K

136.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$328 ARS 506.1K

95.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

91.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$826 ARS 1.3M

22.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,754 ARS 2.7M

137.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,059 ARS 1.6M

80.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$696 ARS 1.1M

-5.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

160

-93.16%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bahia Blanca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bahia Blanca

$328 27.1% 48.9% $314

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bahia Blanca

$260 21.5% 12.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bahia Blanca

$167 13.8% 21.1% $45

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bahia Blanca

$156 12.9% 8.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bahia Blanca

$172 14.2% 1.8% $3.1

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bahia Blanca

$67 5.6% 28.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bahia Blanca

$61 5% 5.7% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $510 in Bahia Blanca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bahia Blanca pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $56 in Bahia Blanca. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $260, with Bahia Blanca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Bahia Blanca

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

301,572

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bahia Blanca 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bahia Blanca

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 Bahia Blanca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bahia Blanca wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bahia Blanca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% 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 $510 in Bahia Blanca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,210 in Bahia Blanca – Bahia Blanca is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bahia Blanca runs roughly 31% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bahia Blanca is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.