Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bridgetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,488 in Bridgetown, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Bridgetown
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Bridgetown Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bridgetown

🇧🇧 Barbados

$2,488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bridgetown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,488 in Bridgetown.

Medellin $1,639
Bridgetown $2,488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,745 in Bridgetown.

Medellin $2,413
Bridgetown $3,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,001 in Bridgetown.

Medellin $3,186
Bridgetown $5,001

Living in Medellin costs roughly 34% less than in Bridgetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Bridgetown 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$19.64 BBD 39.27

-58.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$67.9 BBD 136

-30.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.11 BBD 20.21

-6.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.78 BBD 11.56

-47.92%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.48 BBD 4.96

-27.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.53 BBD 3.06

-7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.57 BBD 5.13

23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.09 BBD 12.18

-5.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$4.17 BBD 8.34

-63.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.90 BBD 7.80

-38.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.94 BBD 5.89

-39.80%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$6.37 BBD 12.74

-54.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.96 BBD 17.91

13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.69 BBD 19.38

1.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.98 BBD 15.96

75.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.37 BBD 10.74

-26.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$3.21 BBD 6.43

-51.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$5.27 BBD 10.53

-58.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.87 BBD 9.75

-55.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.79 BBD 3.58

9.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.25 BBD 4.51

-29.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.66 BBD 5.32

-56.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$3.20 BBD 6.39

-61.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.20 BBD 20.40

34.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.85 BBD 3.69

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.86 BBD 3.73

21.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.73 BBD 3.46

-32.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$106 BBD 211

-26.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$7.45 BBD 14.89

-82.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$40.43 BBD 80.9

-78.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.01 BBD 4.02

-32.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$37.2K BBD 74.5K

-8.51%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$35.7K BBD 71.3K

-2.77%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$194 BBD 387

-12.38%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$56.4 BBD 113

-75.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$82.7 BBD 165

-66.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$62.2 BBD 124

-29.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$15.04 BBD 30.09

-54.06%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$52.8 BBD 106

60.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$33.66 BBD 67.3

72.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$123 BBD 245

10.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$82.1 BBD 164

19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,177 BBD 2,354

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,113 BBD 2,226

-42.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,159 BBD 4,318

-6.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,013 BBD 4,026

-49.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,490 BBD 6,979

19.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,503 BBD 7,007

-45.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,001 BBD 4,001

-67.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.85

59.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bridgetown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bridgetown

$1.1K 44.7% 73.5% $472

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bridgetown

$401 16.1% 35% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bridgetown

$333 13.4% 57.5% $121

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bridgetown

$298 12% 75.6% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bridgetown

$131 5.3% 22.5% $38

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bridgetown

$120 * 4.8% 28.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bridgetown

$92 3.7% 60.5% $35

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $1,177 in Bridgetown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bridgetown pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $68 in Bridgetown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $401 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇧 Bridgetown

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

110,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Barbados Dollar BBD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, 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).

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BBD (1 BBD = 0.448 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bridgetown 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bridgetown

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 Bridgetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Bridgetown. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $1,177 in Bridgetown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Bridgetown. 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 $2,488 in Bridgetown – Medellin is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Bridgetown on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.