Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Isa Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Isa Town: $745 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Isa Town

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Isa Town

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $745 in Isa Town, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Isa Town $745

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,766 in Isa Town, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Isa Town $1,766

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,786 in Isa Town, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Isa Town $2,786

Medellin costs about 120% more than Isa Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Isa Town is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.88 BHD 2.95

2.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$26.10 BHD 9.76

80.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.44 BHD 2.41

47.52%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.50 BHD 1.68

-33.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.88 BHD 0.33

104.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.26 BHD 0.10

442.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$6.61 BHD 2.47

-51.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.29 BHD 0.48

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.36 BHD 0.51

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$5.16 BHD 1.93

-65.70%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.20 BHD 1.20

-9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.47 BHD 3.92

-2.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.18 BHD 3.06

20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$20.91 BHD 7.82

-33.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.68 BHD 1.00

48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.58 BHD 0.97

-39.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.61 BHD 0.98

-16.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.69 BHD 1.01

-18.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.61 BHD 0.97

-24.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.55 BHD 0.58

2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.55 BHD 0.21

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.07 BHD 0.40

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.07 BHD 0.40

9.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$13.21 BHD 4.94

485.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.26 BHD 1.97

-75.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.82 BHD 0.31

64.63%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$13.1K BHD 4,911

164.06%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$39.47 BHD 14.76

-28.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$105 BHD 39.31

-58.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.68 BHD 4.00

-35.30%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,070 BHD 3,018

12.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$39.04 BHD 14.60

117.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$13.41 BHD 5.01

332.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$80.9 BHD 30.25

66.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$108 BHD 40.31

-9.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,309 BHD 489

54.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,066 BHD 399

-5.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,078 BHD 403

-39.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Isa Town: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Isa Town

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Isa Town

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Isa Town

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Isa Town

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Isa Town

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Isa Town

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Isa Town

–

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 64% higher in Isa Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $26 in Isa Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $274 – making Isa Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇭 Isa Town

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

36,876

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.374 BHD (1 BHD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 0.418 BHD (1 BHD = 2.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Isa Town 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Isa Town

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 Isa Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,118 in Isa Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $745 in Isa Town. That makes Isa Town about 55% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $26 in Isa Town. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Isa Town, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Isa Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $745 in Isa Town to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.