Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lira and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lira: $389 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Lira
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Lira Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Lira

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lira 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 Lira and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $389 per month in Lira vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Lira $389
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $614 per month in Lira vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Lira $614
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $839 per month in Lira vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Lira $839
Medellin $3,249

Lira is about 77% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lira sits 71% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.32 UGX 9,799

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-72.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.02 UGX 97.1K

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-50.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 UGX 30.1K

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-24.71%

Cappuccino

$2.41 UGX 10.1K

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-23.00%

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

$0.24 UGX 1,016

$1.77 COP 5,696

-86.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 UGX 927

$1.42 COP 4,594

-84.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 UGX 2,998

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-77.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 UGX 7,240

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-69.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 UGX 3,192

$1.53 COP 4,943

-50.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 UGX 3,557

$2.29 COP 7,389

-63.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 UGX 5,213

$1.94 COP 6,273

-36.08%

Eggs

$1.38 UGX 5,807

$3.07 COP 9,889

-55.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-59.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 UGX 18.3K

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-58.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.71 UGX 19.8K

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-66.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 UGX 8,515

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-50.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 UGX 5,679

$1.53 COP 4,929

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UGX 5,120

$2.10 COP 6,786

-42.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 UGX 4,976

$2.29 COP 7,397

-48.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,051

$2.11 COP 6,803

-43.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,045

$1.71 COP 5,512

-29.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 UGX 2,937

$1.17 COP 3,774

-40.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 UGX 2,116

$1.58 COP 5,096

-68.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 UGX 10.2K

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-38.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 UGX 30.2K

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-48.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 UGX 4,407

$1.76 COP 5,682

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 UGX 7,490

$2.71 COP 8,746

-34.32%

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 1,173

$2.13 COP 6,867

-86.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 UGX 12.2K

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-64.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 UGX 5,975

$1.28 COP 4,113

10.94%

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

$6,923 UGX 29.2M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-79.90%

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

$7,095 UGX 29.9M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-79.21%

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

$65.4 UGX 276.0K

$178 COP 573.2K

-63.18%

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

$10.94 UGX 46.2K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-21.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.40 UGX 140.9K

$30.74 COP 99.1K

8.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 UGX 30.0K

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-4.69%

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

$259 UGX 1.1M

$790 COP 2.5M

-67.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K UGX 65.8M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

26.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.99 UGX 54.8K

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-84.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.06 UGX 50.9K

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-79.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.89 UGX 130.3K

$138 COP 446.2K

-77.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.89 UGX 176.7K

$98.8 COP 318.7K

-57.61%

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 Lira: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lira

$141 36.3%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 118% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lira

$110 28.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 103% $113

Eating Out

Lira

$78 20%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 122% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Lira

$44 11.3%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 291% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Lira

$14 * 3.7%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 300% $43

Getting Around

Lira

$1.9 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 4871% $92

Accommodation & Living

Lira

- * 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 $23 in Lira versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $307 – making Lira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Lira

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

05:11 5:11 AM

8 h behind Lira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,059

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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Between locations

Lira Medellin 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Lira
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

Lira vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 335%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $583 per month in Lira and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $389 in Lira and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Lira about 77% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Lira and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lira, where all-in costs run around $389, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Lira 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 $389 in Lira to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.