Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Brcko

For one person, living is cheaper in Brcko: $963 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Brcko
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Brcko Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Brcko

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Brcko

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $963 in Brcko.

Medellin $1,625
Brcko $963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,389 in Brcko.

Medellin $2,412
Brcko $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,814 in Brcko.

Medellin $3,199
Brcko $1,814

Living in Medellin is roughly 69% more expensive than in Brcko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Brcko is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$6.94 BAM 12.11

19.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$37.79 BAM 66.0

24.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$6.82 BAM 11.91

35.48%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$1.70 BAM 2.96

79.41%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.67 BAM 2.92

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$1.24 BAM 2.17

11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$0.88 BAM 1.54

268.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.32 BAM 4.05

139.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.45 BAM 2.54

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,447

$1.18 BAM 2.06

100.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$2.47 BAM 4.31

-31.17%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$3.12 BAM 5.45

-5.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$10.02 BAM 17.50

2.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$7.19 BAM 12.56

35.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$14.48 BAM 25.27

-4.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.18 BAM 2.05

250.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.60 BAM 2.80

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,136

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,712

$1.18 BAM 2.06

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$0.99 BAM 1.72

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$3.10 BAM 5.42

24.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$8.68 BAM 15.16

58.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$1.12 BAM 1.96

48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$2.31 BAM 4.04

3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.12 BAM 1.95

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$1.13 BAM 1.98

13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,748

$0.59 BAM 1.04

264.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$10.37 BAM 18.11

-19.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,253

$1.43 BAM 2.50

-5.59%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$29.6K BAM 51.8K

17.26%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$21.0K BAM 36.7K

65.06%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$181 BAM 315

-7.77%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$11.55 BAM 20.16

17.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$40.62 BAM 70.9

-28.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$25.65 BAM 44.78

75.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$5.86 BAM 10.24

18.94%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$135 BAM 235

486.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$18.3K BAM 31.9K

-50.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$22.61 BAM 39.47

288.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$17.24 BAM 30.10

237.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$87.5 BAM 153

58.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$84.8 BAM 148

16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$343 BAM 599

199.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$254 BAM 443

143.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$522 BAM 912

260.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$339 BAM 592

197.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$1,491 BAM 2,603

167.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,173 BAM 2,048

45.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$483 BAM 844

37.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.3

154.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brcko: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Brcko

$254 26.4% 59% $365

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Brcko

$218 * 22.6% 26.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Brcko

$233 24.2% 11.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Brcko

$95 9.9% 44.7% $77

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Brcko

$117 12.2% 31.5% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Brcko

$8.6 * 0.9% 91% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Brcko

$37 3.9% 36.7% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $343 in Brcko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $38 in Brcko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $218 per month, with Brcko cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇦 Brcko

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

16:31 4:31 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

39,893

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Brcko 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Brcko

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 Brcko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brcko is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and clothing. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $343 in Brcko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $135 in Brcko. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brcko – a meal for two runs $38 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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