Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Benalmadena

Name: Benalmadena
Address: Benalmadena, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,849 in Benalmadena, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Benalmadena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
Learn more

Benalmadena Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Benalmadena

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,849 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Benalmadena $1,849

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,778 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Benalmadena $2,778

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,707 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Benalmadena $3,707

Medellin is about 11% cheaper than Benalmadena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Benalmadena sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Benalmadena by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.63 €13.10

-44.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$67.7 €60.6

-30.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.37 €8.39

1.39%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.17 €1.95

38.71%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.13 €1.90

-15.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$2.11 €1.89

-33.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.25 €2.91

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.40 €3.94

30.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.23 €1.10

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.66 €1.49

43.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.82 €1.63

-2.75%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.32 €2.97

-12.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.32 €13.72

-33.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$8.17 €7.32

20.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$16.17 €14.48

-13.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.56 €2.29

55.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.89 €1.70

-17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.80 €1.61

21.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.45 €2.20

-11.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.85 €1.66

5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.05 €1.83

-22.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.44 €1.29

-20.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.74 €0.66

67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.42 €5.75

-38.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.83 €6.11

100.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.18 €1.06

40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.99 €1.78

13.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.02 €1.81

-42.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$30.41 €27.23

154.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.91 €1.71

-33.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.21 €1.09

69.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$22.35 €20.01

-61.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.83 €1.64

-26.23%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$34.2K €30.6K

-0.36%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$30.9K €27.7K

12.15%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$140 €125

21.16%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$12.85 €11.51

5.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$32.12 €28.77

-12.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$48.94 €43.83

-10.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$15.68 €14.04

9.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.99 €7.16

-13.52%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$566 €507

40.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$9,540 €8,544

-4.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$89.3 €80.0

-5.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$39.33 €35.22

47.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$95.9 €85.9

40.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$114 €102

-14.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$945 €847

27.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$910 €815

-29.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,680 €1,504

20.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,504 €1,347

-32.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,126 €3,695

1.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,499 €3,134

-45.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,882 €3,477

-83.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.3

231.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Benalmadena: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Benalmadena

$910 49.3% 41.9% $269

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Benalmadena

$276 14.9% 7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Benalmadena

$185 10% 12.4% $26

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Benalmadena

$213 11.5% 25.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Benalmadena

$152 8.2% 9.8% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Benalmadena

$46 2.5% 50.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Benalmadena

$65 3.5% 12.9% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $945 in Benalmadena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Benalmadena are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $68 in Benalmadena. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $276 in Benalmadena – so Benalmadena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

75,801

💱 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 November 1, 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Benalmadena 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Benalmadena

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 Benalmadena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Benalmadena is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,773 in Benalmadena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benalmadena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $945 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Benalmadena – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $68 in Benalmadena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,849 in Benalmadena, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,849 in Benalmadena. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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