Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bahia de Caraquez

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $873 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
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Bahia de Caraquez Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bahia de Caraquez

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 de Caraquez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Bahia de Caraquez $873

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,437 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Bahia de Caraquez $1,437

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,002 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Bahia de Caraquez $2,002

Medellin costs about 94% more than Bahia de Caraquez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Bahia de Caraquez is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.97 $3.97

110.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$53.2 $53.2

-12.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.82 $8.82

7.37%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.79 $2.79

12.19%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.92 $0.92

92.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.68 $0.68

108.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.98 $2.98

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.20 $4.20

35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.21 $1.21

26.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.01 $2.01

13.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.41 $1.41

37.59%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.08 $2.08

47.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.89 $6.89

44.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.21 $5.21

100.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$8.99 $8.99

55.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.52 $1.52

166.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.16 $1.16

31.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.02 $1.02

105.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$0.95 $0.95

141.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.27 $1.27

66.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.92 $0.92

85.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.83 $0.83

40.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.93 $0.93

69.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.83 $5.83

-32.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$11.84 $11.84

18.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.54 $1.54

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.19 $2.19

23.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.34 $0.34

247.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.71 $2.71

-33.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.72 $1.72

23.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$11.85 $11.85

-31.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$0.84 $0.84

52.38%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$22.5K $22.5K

52.77%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$31.1K $31.1K

9.83%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$33.68 $33.68

427.70%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$15.13 $15.13

-8.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$26.40 $26.40

16.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$29.48 $29.48

42.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$16.45 $16.45

2.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.64 $7.64

-2.23%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$375 $375

110.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$5,635 $5,635

118.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$66.0 $66.0

30.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$41.24 $41.24

43.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$125 $125

10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$92.4 $92.4

6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$414 $414

223.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$274 $274

143.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$834 $834

136.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$509 $509

103.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.05

8.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bahia de Caraquez: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bahia de Caraquez

$274 31.3% 59% $394

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$199 22.8% 35.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bahia de Caraquez

$75 8.6% 66.2% $147

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$121 13.9% 29.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 16.8% 15.1% $26

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bahia de Caraquez

$13 * 1.5% 86.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bahia de Caraquez

$45 5.1% 21.3% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $414 in Bahia de Caraquez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $199 in Bahia de Caraquez – so Bahia de Caraquez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

24,963

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bahia de Caraquez 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bahia de Caraquez

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 de Caraquez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $873 in Bahia de Caraquez – Bahia de Caraquez comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,309 in Bahia de Caraquez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bahia de Caraquez, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Bahia de Caraquez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bahia de Caraquez has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $873 in Bahia de Caraquez to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.