Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbarara and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $488 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$488

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Mbarara vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Mbarara $488
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $776 per month in Mbarara vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Mbarara $776
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,063 per month in Mbarara vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Mbarara $1,063
Medellin $3,186

Mbarara is about 70% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mbarara sits 64% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.35 UGX 10.3K

$8.09 COP 25.6K

-70.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.42 UGX 107.0K

$47.05 COP 148.9K

-48.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 UGX 31.0K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-25.58%

Cappuccino

$2.43 UGX 10.6K

$3.01 COP 9,540

-19.27%

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

$0.34 UGX 1,502

$1.80 COP 5,693

-81.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 UGX 1,190

$1.41 COP 4,469

-80.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 UGX 5,332

$3.18 COP 10.0K

-61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 UGX 8,018

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-68.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.50 UGX 2,177

$1.51 COP 4,778

-66.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 UGX 4,083

$2.38 COP 7,524

-60.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 UGX 5,130

$1.77 COP 5,606

-33.90%

Eggs

$1.53 UGX 6,682

$2.89 COP 9,146

-47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 UGX 18.5K

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-58.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 UGX 19.7K

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-54.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.46 UGX 15.1K

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-75.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 UGX 8,780

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-49.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 UGX 5,434

$1.55 COP 4,911

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 UGX 5,706

$2.18 COP 6,907

-40.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 UGX 5,199

$2.18 COP 6,910

-45.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,389

$1.96 COP 6,210

-37.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 UGX 5,125

$1.59 COP 5,029

-26.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 UGX 3,158

$1.15 COP 3,625

-37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 UGX 2,218

$1.24 COP 3,934

-58.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 UGX 10.6K

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-38.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 UGX 32.4K

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 UGX 4,730

$1.66 COP 5,252

-34.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 UGX 7,949

$2.26 COP 7,145

-19.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 UGX 3,056

$1.17 COP 3,696

-40.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 UGX 2,035

$1.27 COP 4,013

-63.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 UGX 1,266

$2.05 COP 6,480

-85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 UGX 13.3K

$8.55 COP 27.1K

-64.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 UGX 5,981

$1.35 COP 4,262

1.48%

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

$7,154 UGX 31.3M

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-79.00%

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

$7,202 UGX 31.5M

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-79.23%

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

$69.2 UGX 302.9K

$170 COP 536.8K

-59.24%

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

$11.20 UGX 49.1K

$13.55 COP 42.9K

-17.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.55 UGX 146.9K

$28.07 COP 88.8K

19.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.82 UGX 78.0K

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-59.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 UGX 31.3K

$6.91 COP 21.9K

3.47%

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

$247 UGX 1.1M

$797 COP 2.5M

-69.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,140 UGX 35.7M

$9,112 COP 28.8M

-10.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.66 UGX 59.8K

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-83.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.69 UGX 55.6K

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-78.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.67 UGX 138.7K

$135 COP 427.1K

-76.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.04 UGX 184.2K

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-57.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$83.7 UGX 366.4K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-93.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.0 UGX 319.5K

$642 COP 2.0M

-88.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 UGX 1.0M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-88.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 UGX 749.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-83.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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 Mbarara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbarara

$138 28.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 115% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbarara

$114 23.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 85.5% $97

Eating Out

Mbarara

$81 16.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 108% $88

Accommodation & Living

Mbarara

$73 14.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 779% $569

Clothing & Footwear

Mbarara

$45 9.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 275% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Mbarara

$32 6.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 79.1% $25

Getting Around

Mbarara

$4.7 * 1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1890% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $84 in Mbarara versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Mbarara versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $138 vs $297 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

8 h behind Mbarara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,013

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4,380 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,876 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mbarara Medellin 11,810 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbarara
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

Mbarara vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 236%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Mbarara and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbarara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $84 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 115% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mbarara, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Mbarara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbarara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.