Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Artigas

For one person, living is cheaper in Artigas: $46.81 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Artigas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$46.81

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Artigas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $47 in Artigas.

Medellin $1,692
Artigas $47

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $70 in Artigas.

Medellin $2,471
Artigas $70

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $94 in Artigas.

Medellin $3,249
Artigas $94

Living in Medellin is roughly 3515% more expensive than in Artigas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Artigas is 97% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$178 COP 571.7K

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$29.71 UYU 1,196

41.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$8.55 UYU 344

-12.63%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

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 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Artigas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Artigas

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Artigas

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Artigas

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Artigas

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Artigas

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Artigas

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Artigas

–

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇾 Artigas

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

11:22 11:22 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

40,658

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 UYU = 2.48 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 40.26 UYU (100 UYU = 2.48 USD). 1 EUR = 45.24 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Artigas 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Artigas

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 Artigas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Artigas wins on cost – living expenses run 97% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Artigas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $70 in Artigas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

At $47 in Artigas versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Artigas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Artigas 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.