Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barcelona, Venezuela

Name: Barcelona
Address: Barcelona, VE

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $786 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $786 in Barcelona.

Medellin $1,639
Barcelona $786

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,292 in Barcelona.

Medellin $2,413
Barcelona $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,798 in Barcelona.

Medellin $3,186
Barcelona $1,798

Living in Medellin is roughly 109% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Barcelona is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.36 VES 8,307

-13.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$31.45 VES 27.9K

49.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.84 VES 8,730

-3.46%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.27 VES 2,016

32.60%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.99 VES 877

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.70 VES 618

101.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$0.98 VES 871

224.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.98 VES 1,761

190.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.04 VES 1,811

-25.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.96 VES 1,736

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.72 VES 1,524

2.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$4.02 VES 3,572

-28.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.42 VES 4,808

88.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.89 VES 6,116

43.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.49 VES 6,644

86.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.52 VES 3,123

12.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.72 VES 1,525

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.61 VES 1,431

35.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.22 VES 1,967

-1.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.52 VES 1,351

28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.54 VES 1,370

3.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.79 VES 1,592

-35.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.95 VES 1,734

-36.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.47 VES 3,083

14.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.87 VES 9,643

25.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.74 VES 654

124.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.99 VES 1,762

13.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.19 VES 164

515.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$12.33 VES 10.9K

527.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$7.52 VES 6,673

-83.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.12 VES 992

83.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$15.08 VES 13.4K

-43.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.52 VES 461

159.62%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.7K VES 20.2M

49.82%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$39.9K VES 35.4M

-13.02%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$50.2 VES 44.6K

237.88%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$15.02 VES 13.3K

-9.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$40.19 VES 35.7K

-30.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.44 VES 27.0K

43.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.86 VES 13.2K

15.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.90 VES 3,457

77.18%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$66.0 VES 58.5K

1107.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$60.9 VES 54.0K

39.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$41.76 VES 37.1K

38.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$64.1 VES 56.9K

110.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$60.2 VES 53.4K

62.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$204 VES 180.6K

493.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$117 VES 103.9K

448.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$368 VES 326.7K

450.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$278 VES 246.6K

264.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$412 VES 365.4K

912.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$234 VES 207.8K

715.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$270 VES 239.2K

143.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

23.12

-52.68%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Barcelona

$117 14.9% 81.8% $524

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Barcelona

$249 31.7% 16.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Barcelona

$105 13.4% 50.1% $106

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Barcelona

$147 18.8% 13.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Barcelona

$102 13% 39.6% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Barcelona

$26 3.3% 72% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Barcelona

$38 4.9% 33.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $204 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $31 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $249 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇪 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

560,122

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 887 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 990 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Barcelona 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $204 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $31 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $786 in Barcelona – Barcelona is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.