Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Entebbe

For one person, living is cheaper in Entebbe: $531 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Entebbe
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Entebbe Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Entebbe

🇺🇬 Uganda

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Entebbe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $531 in Entebbe.

Medellin $1,614
Entebbe $531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $828 in Entebbe.

Medellin $2,402
Entebbe $828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,125 in Entebbe.

Medellin $3,190
Entebbe $1,125

Living in Medellin is roughly 204% more expensive than in Entebbe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Entebbe is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.45 UGX 10.1K

223.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$24.45 UGX 100.6K

88.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.28 UGX 30.0K

30.49%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.04 UGX 8,372

52.45%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.24 UGX 981

662.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.26 UGX 1,075

430.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$0.85 UGX 3,479

258.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.21 UGX 4,983

354.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.82 UGX 3,355

76.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.95 UGX 3,899

148.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.36 UGX 5,593

23.53%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.58 UGX 6,496

81.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.39 UGX 18.0K

132.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.62 UGX 19.0K

106.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$5.00 UGX 20.6K

180.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.08 UGX 8,546

95.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.23 UGX 5,075

21.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.34 UGX 5,520

61.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.19 UGX 4,894

94.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.23 UGX 5,050

56.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.22 UGX 5,030

34.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.76 UGX 3,121

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.49 UGX 2,026

155.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.54 UGX 10.4K

57.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.42 UGX 30.5K

79.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.07 UGX 4,382

58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.97 UGX 8,104

20.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.48 UGX 1,954

152.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.52 UGX 2,155

153.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.30 UGX 1,214

613.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$3.04 UGX 12.5K

178.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.27 UGX 5,236

2.36%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$7,422 UGX 30.5M

277.13%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$7,439 UGX 30.6M

376.03%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$69.8 UGX 287.2K

146.51%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$11.56 UGX 47.5K

15.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$35.49 UGX 146.0K

-19.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.63 UGX 31.4K

-17.69%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$258 UGX 1.1M

198.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,205 UGX 33.7M

9.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$13.87 UGX 57.0K

523.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$13.24 UGX 54.5K

331.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$31.93 UGX 131.3K

327.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$43.68 UGX 179.7K

124.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$227 UGX 931.7K

365.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$126 UGX 516.3K

390.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$370 UGX 1.5M

411.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$248 UGX 1.0M

312.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$126 UGX 518.6K

417.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

20.75

-47.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Entebbe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Entebbe

$126 23.6% 79.6% $490

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Entebbe

$149 28% 49.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Entebbe

$117 22% 45.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Entebbe

$46 8.7% 72.8% $124

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Entebbe

$75 14% 55.7% $94

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Entebbe

$3.9 * 0.7% 95.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Entebbe

$15 * 2.9% 73.6% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $227 in Entebbe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 417% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $24.00 in Entebbe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $149 per month, with Entebbe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇬 Entebbe

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

05:27 5:27 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

69,958

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,624 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Entebbe 12,000 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Entebbe

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 Entebbe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Entebbe differ by about 204% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $531 including rent). Entebbe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 417% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $227 in Entebbe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 98% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $531 in Entebbe – a 204% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $531 in Entebbe versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Entebbe but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Entebbe 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.

Expats usually find Entebbe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.