Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barrie

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,524 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
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Barrie Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barrie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,524 in Barrie.

Medellin $1,639
Barrie $2,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,461 in Barrie.

Medellin $2,413
Barrie $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,399 in Barrie.

Medellin $3,186
Barrie $4,399

Living in Medellin costs roughly 35% less than in Barrie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Barrie 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.47 CA$20.22

-44.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$56.1 CA$78.4

-16.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$11.27 CA$15.74

-15.71%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.75 CA$5.24

-19.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.91 CA$2.67

-5.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.44 CA$2.01

-2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$4.92 CA$6.87

-35.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.62 CA$7.85

2.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.08 CA$2.90

-27.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.45 CA$3.43

-2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.69 CA$3.76

-34.20%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.12 CA$4.36

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.00 CA$13.97

1.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$14.19 CA$19.82

-30.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$22.64 CA$31.63

-38.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.98 CA$5.56

-0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.19 CA$1.66

30.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$3.18 CA$4.44

-31.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.86 CA$5.39

-43.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.11 CA$1.56

76.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.37 CA$1.91

16.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.09 CA$2.92

-44.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.63 CA$2.27

-23.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$11.46 CA$16.01

-65.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.20 CA$14.26

34.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.53 CA$3.53

-34.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.16 CA$3.02

4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.45 CA$3.42

-52.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$63.6 CA$88.9

21.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.64 CA$5.09

-65.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.05 CA$1.46

95.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.14 CA$1.59

18.42%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.0K CA$36.3K

31.01%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.0K CA$32.1K

50.78%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$234 CA$327

-27.48%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$35.10 CA$49.04

-61.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$77.8 CA$109

-63.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.88 CA$43.15

41.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$35.49 CA$49.58

-51.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.70 CA$17.74

-45.59%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,434 CA$2,004

-44.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$63.0 CA$88.0

34.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$45.09 CA$63.0

28.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$150 CA$210

-10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$85.8 CA$120

14.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,459 CA$2,039

-17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,272 CA$1,777

-49.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,034 CA$2,841

-0.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,731 CA$2,419

-41.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,201 CA$7,267

-19.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,101 CA$5,730

-53.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,071 CA$4,290

-78.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.68

133.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barrie: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Barrie

$1.3K 50.4% 98.2% $630

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Barrie

$368 14.6% 23.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Barrie

$347 13.7% 64.2% $136

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Barrie

$244 9.7% 43.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Barrie

$155 6.1% 8.3% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Barrie

$82 3.3% 12% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Barrie

$56 2.2% 2.2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,459 in Barrie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barrie pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $56 in Barrie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $368 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Barrie

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

141,434

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Barrie 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barrie

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 Barrie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,524 in Barrie, so Medellin is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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 $1,459 in Barrie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 18% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $1,434 in Barrie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,524 in Barrie, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Barrie. 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.

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