Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Terrassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Terrassa: $1,490 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Terrassa, Spain
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Terrassa
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,490
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Terrassa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,490 in Terrassa, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Terrassa $1,490

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,305 in Terrassa, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Terrassa $2,305

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,120 in Terrassa, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Terrassa $3,120

Medellin costs about 10% more than Terrassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Terrassa sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Terrassa by 10%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$14.30 €12.81
-43.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$54.9 €49.19
-14.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$12.15 €10.88
-21.81%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$2.63 €2.36
14.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$2.31 €2.07
-22.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$1.78 €1.59
-20.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$3.43 €3.07
-7.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$4.56 €4.09
26.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$1.09 €0.98
38.53%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$1.50 €1.35
58.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$1.82 €1.63
-2.75%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$3.77 €3.37
-23.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$14.51 €13.00
-29.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$8.96 €8.03
10.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$19.90 €17.82
-29.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.55 €2.28
55.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$1.95 €1.75
-20.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$1.60 €1.43
36.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$2.72 €2.44
-19.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$1.82 €1.63
7.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$1.94 €1.74
-18.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$1.45 €1.30
-20.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.77 €0.69
61.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$6.84 €6.13
-42.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$6.78 €6.07
101.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$1.45 €1.30
14.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$2.44 €2.18
-7.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$1.65 €1.48
-29.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$22.11 €19.80
249.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$3.14 €2.82
-59.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$1.44 €1.29
42.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$14.74 €13.20
-41.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$1.76 €1.57
-23.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$32.1K €28.7K
6.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$31.5K €28.2K
10.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$117 €105
45.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$13.78 €12.34
-1.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$33.86 €30.33
-17.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$33.63 €30.11
29.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$10.39 €9.31
-33.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$439 €393
81.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$9,886 €8,853
-7.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$63.0 €56.5
34.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$21.32 €19.09
171.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$105 €93.7
29.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$121 €108
-18.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$822 €736
46.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$577 €517
11.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,114 €998
81.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,023 €917
-1.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$2,795 €2,503
49.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$2,136 €1,913
-10.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Terrassa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$2,234 €2,001
-70.58%
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 Terrassa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Terrassa
$577 10% $64
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Terrassa
$291 2% $6.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Terrassa
$164 22.2% $47
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Terrassa
$225 32.7% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Terrassa
$139 17.5% $30
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Terrassa
$39 58.3% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Terrassa
$54 5.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $822 in Terrassa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Terrassa are about 3.4 times higher, 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 $55 in Terrassa. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $291 in Terrassa – so Terrassa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇪🇸 Terrassa
🕒 Local time
15:20 3:20 PM
21:20 9:20 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
225,277
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Terrassa 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Terrassa

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 Terrassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Terrassa cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,236 in Terrassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Terrassa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $822 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Terrassa?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $55 in Terrassa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 71% less in Terrassa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is Medellin or Terrassa more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Terrassa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?