Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barisal

For one person, living is cheaper in Barisal: $304 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Barisal
Learn more

Barisal Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Barisal

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barisal

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $304 in Barisal, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Barisal $304

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $492 in Barisal, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Barisal $492

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $681 in Barisal, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Barisal $681

Medellin costs about 435% more than Barisal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Barisal is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$1.44 ৳178

476.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$10.51 ৳1,298

346.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.34 ৳536

112.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ৳322

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ৳569

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.89 ৳234

61.38%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.29 ৳35.86

520.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.12 ৳14.94

1050.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.69 ৳85.4

117.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.63 ৳77.5

276.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.55 ৳67.8

209.09%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.13 ৳140

161.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$6.17 ৳762

65.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.27 ৳280

329.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$6.48 ৳800

114.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.34 ৳289

76.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.92 ৳113

66.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.93 ৳239

15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.56 ৳68.9

305.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.29 ৳35.34

586.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.46 ৳57.3

263.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.41 ৳51.0

187.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.29 ৳36.17

327.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$6.97 ৳862

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 ৳462

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ৳554

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.30 ৳408

17.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.43 ৳52.6

188.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.37 ৳169

-6.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.43 ৳53.0

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$2.80 ৳345

198.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.06 ৳131

27.36%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$30.1K ৳3.7M

15.33%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$32.8K ৳4.0M

5.86%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$20.35 ৳2,514

718.92%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$5.16 ৳638

163.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$10.38 ৳1,282

180.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$7.24 ৳894

522.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$11.99 ৳1,481

43.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.86 ৳600

43.42%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$13.34 ৳1,648

5822.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$700 ৳86.5K

1191.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$16.69 ৳2,063

426.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$18.57 ৳2,294

213.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$32.54 ৳4,021

327.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$24.09 ৳2,976

310.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$73.1 ৳9,036

1306.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$51.8 ৳6,403

1095.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$133 ৳16.4K

1317.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$86.5 ৳10.7K

1065.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$688 ৳85.1K

479.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$309 ৳38.2K

450.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$184 ৳22.7K

261.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.48

4.39%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barisal: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Barisal

$52 17.1% 91.6% $568

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Barisal

$104 34.2% 65.1% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Barisal

$36 11.8% 82.9% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Barisal

$41 13.6% 76.1% $131

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Barisal

$49 16.1% 71.4% $122

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Barisal

$5.2 * 1.7% 94.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Barisal

$17 5.6% 71.3% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $73.1 in Barisal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 261% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $11.00 in Barisal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $104 – making Barisal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇩 Barisal

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

02:31 2:31 AM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

339,308

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Barisal 16,450 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barisal

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 Barisal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 435%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $456 in Barisal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barisal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $304 in Barisal. That's a gap of about 435%.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $13.34 in Barisal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Barisal, where all-in costs run around $304, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Barisal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Barisal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Barisal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.