Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldonado and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Maldonado $1,368
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,178 in Maldonado versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Maldonado $2,178
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,988 in Maldonado versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Maldonado $2,988
Medellin $3,199

Living in Maldonado costs roughly 16% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maldonado 1% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 UYU 597

$8.30 COP 26.3K

79.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 UYU 2,202

$46.91 COP 148.7K

16.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 UYU 558

$9.24 COP 29.3K

50.54%

Cappuccino

$4.57 UYU 183

$3.05 COP 9,676

49.84%

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

$2.65 UYU 106

$1.80 COP 5,707

47.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 UYU 84.2

$1.38 COP 4,382

52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 UYU 118

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-8.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 UYU 145

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-34.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.19

$1.50 COP 4,760

-24.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.37 COP 7,508

13.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.1

$1.70 COP 5,377

4.12%

Eggs

$3.98 UYU 160

$2.96 COP 9,379

34.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 UYU 566

$10.22 COP 32.4K

38.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 UYU 454

$9.74 COP 30.9K

16.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 UYU 466

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-16.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 UYU 112

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-32.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 UYU 86.0

$1.53 COP 4,839

39.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.22 COP 7,052

-21.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 UYU 126

$2.27 COP 7,194

38.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.2

$1.99 COP 6,311

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.67 COP 5,285

19.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.4

$1.18 COP 3,742

21.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.3

$1.24 COP 3,919

57.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 UYU 221

$3.87 COP 12.3K

42.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 UYU 326

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-41.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.3

$1.66 COP 5,256

39.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 UYU 109

$2.40 COP 7,615

12.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 UYU 56.8

$1.24 COP 3,944

13.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.89 UYU 1,962

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-37.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UYU 136

$1.28 COP 4,044

165.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 UYU 17.53

$2.15 COP 6,803

-79.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.25 UYU 411

$8.37 COP 26.5K

22.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 UYU 89.9

$1.35 COP 4,288

65.93%

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

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-23.41%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

6.61%

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

$116 UYU 4,644

$167 COP 528.4K

-30.57%

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

$19.18 UYU 770

$13.62 COP 43.2K

40.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.04 UYU 1,808

$29.12 COP 92.3K

54.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 UYU 1,936

$45.09 COP 143.0K

6.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.20 UYU 1,212

$17.18 COP 54.5K

75.79%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 UYU 484

$6.97 COP 22.1K

72.88%

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

$496 UYU 19.9K

$790 COP 2.5M

-37.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-27.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 UYU 3,625

$87.8 COP 278.4K

2.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 UYU 1,498

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-35.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,014

$139 COP 440.7K

-10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 UYU 4,729

$98.9 COP 313.5K

19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 UYU 17.1K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-58.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 UYU 12.7K

$620 COP 2.0M

-49.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 UYU 36.9K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-51.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 UYU 24.1K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-40.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-29.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-9.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

$663 COP 2.1M

52.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-54.30%

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

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maldonado

$317 23.2%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 6% $19

Accommodation & Living

Maldonado

$315 23.1%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 96.4% $304

Eating Out

Maldonado

$257 18.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 33.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldonado

$180 13.2%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 16.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Maldonado

$167 12.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 3.6% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Maldonado

$72 5.3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 18.4% $13

Getting Around

Maldonado

$60 4.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 58.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Maldonado and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maldonado pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Maldonado vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

2 h behind Maldonado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,592

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maldonado Medellin 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldonado
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

Maldonado vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maldonado and Medellin differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,625 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Maldonado, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $426 in Maldonado versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Maldonado versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Maldonado and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.