Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barakaldo

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Barakaldo: $1,614 and $1,618 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Barakaldo
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Barakaldo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barakaldo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,618 in Barakaldo.

Medellin $1,614
Barakaldo $1,618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,418 in Barakaldo.

Medellin $2,402
Barakaldo $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $3,219 in Barakaldo.

Medellin $3,190
Barakaldo $3,219

Monthly costs are close between Medellin and Barakaldo; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$16.91 €15.04

-53.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$68.0 €60.5

-32.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$12.19 €10.85

-22.07%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.45 €2.18

26.94%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.99 €2.66

-38.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.97 €1.75

-29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$3.44 €3.06

-11.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.27 €2.91

68.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.14 €1.01

27.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.61 €1.43

46.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.38 €1.23

21.74%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.23 €2.88

-11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$12.22 €10.87

-16.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.98 €7.10

19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$12.98 €11.55

8.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.77 €2.47

46.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.56 €1.39

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.91 €1.70

13.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.29 €2.04

0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.54 €1.37

25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.31 €2.05

-29.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.26 €1.12

-10.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.85 €0.75

47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$6.51 €5.79

-38.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.74 €6.88

72.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.50 €1.33

13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.98 €1.76

19.70%

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

$32.27 €28.71

137.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$5.54 €4.93

-76.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.04 €0.92

105.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$29.55 €26.28

-71.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.83 €1.62

-28.96%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$34.8K €30.9K

-19.48%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$29.1K €25.9K

21.54%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$141 €125

22.18%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$18.30 €16.28

-26.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$25.36 €22.56

13.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$45.61 €40.57

-0.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$16.02 €14.25

6.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.95 €8.85

-36.88%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$491 €436

57.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$10.2K €9,111

-12.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$90.3 €80.4

-4.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$31.23 €27.78

82.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$69.3 €61.6

97.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$119 €106

-17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$914 €813

15.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$679 €604

-9.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,364 €1,213

38.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,022 €909

0.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,321 €2,954

22.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,166 €1,927

-22.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,796 €1,598

-63.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.98

267.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barakaldo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Barakaldo

$679 42% 10.3% $63

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Barakaldo

$255 15.8% 13.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Barakaldo

$185 11.4% 13.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Barakaldo

$140 8.6% 18% $31

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Barakaldo

$245 15.1% 45.4% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Barakaldo

$50 3.1% 46.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Barakaldo

$66 4.1% 13.3% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $914 in Barakaldo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barakaldo pays 175% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $68.0 in Barakaldo. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $255, with Barakaldo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Barakaldo

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

18:12 6:12 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

101,229

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Barakaldo 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barakaldo

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 Barakaldo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 175% lower in Barakaldo. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $914 in Barakaldo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $491 in Barakaldo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $68.0 in Barakaldo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,618 in Barakaldo, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Barakaldo. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin 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 Barakaldo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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