Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,186 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barcelos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,186 in Barcelos.

Medellin $1,639
Barcelos $1,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,891 in Barcelos.

Medellin $2,413
Barcelos $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,597 in Barcelos.

Medellin $3,186
Barcelos $2,597

Living in Medellin is roughly 38% more expensive than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Barcelos is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$11.76 €10.53

-31.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$48.41 €43.35

-2.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.92 €7.99

6.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.88 €1.69

60.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.00 €1.79

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.31 €1.17

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.37 €3.02

-5.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.76 €2.47

108.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.09 €0.97

38.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.79 €1.60

32.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.65 €1.48

7.27%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.18 €2.85

-9.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.56 €10.35

-11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$8.11 €7.27

21.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.79 €13.25

-5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.95 €1.75

103.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.36 €1.22

13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.82 €1.63

19.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.55 €2.29

-14.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.78 €1.59

10.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.05 €1.83

-22.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.54 €1.38

-25.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.91 €0.82

36.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.87 €6.16

-42.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.55 €4.07

200.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.23 €1.10

34.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.22 €1.98

1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.18 €1.95

-46.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$22.57 €20.22

242.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.23 €3.79

-69.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.41 €1.27

45.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.57 €14.84

-48.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.11 €1.89

-36.02%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$34.2K €30.6K

-0.27%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$37.7K €33.8K

-8.02%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$103 €91.9

65.30%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$17.46 €15.64

-22.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$44.42 €39.78

-36.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$38.27 €34.27

14.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$6.80 €6.09

152.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.96 €8.02

-22.88%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$309 €276

158.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,324 €5,663

44.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$73.7 €66.0

14.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$37.48 €33.57

54.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$79.3 €71.0

70.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$105 €93.9

-6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$494 €443

144.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$359 €321

78.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$901 €807

124.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$713 €639

41.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,689 €2,408

55.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,536 €1,375

24.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,076 €964

-38.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.7

195.68%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Barcelos

$359 30.3% 44% $283

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Barcelos

$252 21.2% 15.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Barcelos

$165 13.9% 22.1% $47

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Barcelos

$179 15.1% 5.6% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Barcelos

$133 11.2% 21.4% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 54.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Barcelos

$56 4.7% 2.3% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $494 in Barcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays 64% 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 $48 in Barcelos. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $252, with Barcelos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

116,766

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Barcelos 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barcelos

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 Barcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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 $494 in Barcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,186 in Barcelos – Barcelos is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,186 in Barcelos versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos 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.