Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Freeport

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,659 in Freeport, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Freeport, Bahamas
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Freeport
🇧🇸 Bahamas
$2,659
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Freeport

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,659 in Freeport.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Freeport $2,659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $4,307 in Freeport.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Freeport $4,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,955 in Freeport.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Freeport $5,955

Living in Medellin costs roughly 38% less than in Freeport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Freeport 95% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$47.77 BSD 47.77
-83.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$98.9 BSD 98.9
-52.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$12.68 BSD 12.68
-25.08%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$6.54 BSD 6.54
-53.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$3.10 BSD 3.10
-41.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$2.80 BSD 2.80
-49.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$4.63 BSD 4.63
-31.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$6.95 BSD 6.95
-17.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$2.36 BSD 2.36
-36.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$5.52 BSD 5.52
-56.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$8.46 BSD 8.46
-79.08%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$8.86 BSD 8.86
-67.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$16.51 BSD 16.51
-38.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$6.86 BSD 6.86
43.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$13.91 BSD 13.91
0.58%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$10.31 BSD 10.31
-61.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$4.08 BSD 4.08
-62.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$10.23 BSD 10.23
-78.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$12.85 BSD 12.85
-83.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$4.62 BSD 4.62
-57.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$2.53 BSD 2.53
-37.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$4.28 BSD 4.28
-73.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$3.32 BSD 3.32
-62.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$15.23 BSD 15.23
-74.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$20.33 BSD 20.33
-32.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$4.58 BSD 4.58
-50.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$1.77 BSD 1.77
-33.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$2.93 BSD 2.93
-56.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$2.92 BSD 2.92
-29.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$101 BSD 101
-91.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$1.60 BSD 1.60
-15.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$37.2K BSD 37.2K
-8.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$34.9K BSD 34.9K
-0.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$270 BSD 270
-37.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$64.0 BSD 64.0
-78.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$66.2 BSD 66.2
-57.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$55.4 BSD 55.4
-21.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$56.1 BSD 56.1
-69.35%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$17.90 BSD 17.90
-61.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$587 BSD 587
35.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$8,599 BSD 8,599
5.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$49.43 BSD 49.43
71.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$92.0 BSD 92.0
46.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$69.7 BSD 69.7
40.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$985 BSD 985
22.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$908 BSD 908
-29.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$2,202 BSD 2,202
-7.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,971 BSD 1,971
-48.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$4,206 BSD 4,206
-0.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$3,354 BSD 3,354
-43.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Freeport
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$1,543 BSD 1,543
-57.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
12.72
-13.99%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Freeport: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Freeport
$908 41.6% $267
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Freeport
$580 * 95.5% $283
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Freeport
$400 89.3% $189
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Freeport
$559 230% $390
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Freeport
$95 * 43.8% $74
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Freeport
$25 * 73.7% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Freeport
$91 58.5% $34

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 $985 in Freeport. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freeport pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $99 in Freeport for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $580 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇸 Freeport
🕒 Local time
03:57 3:57 AM
03:57 3:57 AM
Same time as Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
45,945
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Freeport 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Freeport

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 Freeport: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Freeport?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,659 in Freeport, so Medellin is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 57% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Freeport?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $985 in Freeport. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Medellin and Freeport?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $587 in Freeport. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $99 in Freeport. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,659 in Freeport, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Freeport. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Freeport?
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.
How do I decide between Medellin and Freeport?
It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Freeport on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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