Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Portal and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Portal: $364 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Fort Portal
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Fort Portal Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fort Portal

🇺🇬 Uganda

$364

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fort Portal and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fort Portal and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $364 per month in Fort Portal vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Fort Portal $364
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $574 per month in Fort Portal vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Fort Portal $574
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $783 per month in Fort Portal vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Fort Portal $783
Medellin $3,249

Fort Portal is about 78% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Fort Portal sits 73% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 UGX 9,990

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-71.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.66 UGX 99.8K

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-49.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 UGX 29.2K

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-26.82%

Cappuccino

$2.46 UGX 10.4K

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-21.41%

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

$0.37 UGX 1,545

$1.77 COP 5,696

-79.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 UGX 1,004

$1.42 COP 4,594

-83.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 UGX 5,049

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-61.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 UGX 7,235

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-69.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.27 UGX 1,126

$1.53 COP 4,943

-82.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 UGX 2,850

$2.29 COP 7,389

-70.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 UGX 3,795

$1.94 COP 6,273

-53.61%

Eggs

$1.15 UGX 4,835

$3.07 COP 9,889

-62.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.12 UGX 17.4K

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-58.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.14 UGX 17.5K

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-60.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.12 UGX 13.2K

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-77.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 UGX 8,246

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-51.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 UGX 2,996

$1.53 COP 4,929

-53.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,052

$2.10 COP 6,786

-42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 UGX 4,786

$2.29 COP 7,397

-50.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,075

$2.11 COP 6,803

-43.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 UGX 2,386

$1.71 COP 5,512

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 UGX 3,081

$1.17 COP 3,774

-37.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 UGX 2,046

$1.58 COP 5,096

-68.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 UGX 9,700

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-41.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.57 UGX 19.3K

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-67.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 UGX 2,848

$1.76 COP 5,682

-61.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 UGX 3,914

$2.71 COP 8,746

-65.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 UGX 2,065

$1.81 COP 5,827

-72.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 UGX 1,165

$2.13 COP 6,867

-86.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 UGX 12.2K

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-64.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 UGX 4,905

$1.28 COP 4,113

-9.38%

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

$6,927 UGX 29.2M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-79.89%

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

$6,921 UGX 29.2M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-79.72%

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

$66.9 UGX 282.2K

$178 COP 573.2K

-62.35%

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

$11.00 UGX 46.4K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-20.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.84 UGX 138.5K

$30.74 COP 99.1K

6.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 UGX 30.2K

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-4.15%

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

$267 UGX 1.1M

$790 COP 2.5M

-66.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K UGX 67.9M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

30.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.23 UGX 55.8K

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-84.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.29 UGX 51.8K

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-79.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.84 UGX 130.1K

$138 COP 446.2K

-77.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.94 UGX 172.7K

$98.8 COP 318.7K

-58.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

10.94

89.67%

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

Last update for Fort Portal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fort Portal

$112 30.9%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 173% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Portal

$111 30.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 101% $112

Eating Out

Fort Portal

$81 22.3%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 113% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Portal

$44 12%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 293% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Portal

$14 * 3.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 297% $43

Getting Around

Fort Portal

$1.9 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 4898% $92

Accommodation & Living

Fort Portal

- * 0%

Medellin

$667 39.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Fort Portal versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $307 – making Fort Portal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Fort Portal

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

04:25 4:25 AM

8 h behind Fort Portal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,275

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,739 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fort Portal Medellin 11,750 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Portal
Medellin

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

Fort Portal vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 365% more than Fort Portal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $546 per month in Fort Portal and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Fort Portal and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 173% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Fort Portal, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Fort Portal 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 $364 in Fort Portal to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.