Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Iganga

For one person, living is cheaper in Iganga: $404 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Iganga
Learn more

Iganga Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Iganga

🇺🇬 Uganda

$404

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Iganga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $404 in Iganga.

Medellin $1,639
Iganga $404

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $637 in Iganga.

Medellin $2,413
Iganga $637

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $870 in Iganga.

Medellin $3,186
Iganga $870

Living in Medellin is roughly 306% more expensive than in Iganga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Iganga is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.47 UGX 10.8K

227.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$23.87 UGX 104.6K

97.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.43 UGX 32.5K

27.86%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.47 UGX 10.8K

21.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.37 UGX 1,629

386.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.27 UGX 1,195

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.23 UGX 5,382

158.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.84 UGX 8,038

212.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.78 UGX 3,425

93.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.87 UGX 3,807

173.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.34 UGX 5,854

32.09%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.56 UGX 6,846

85.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$4.35 UGX 19.0K

134.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.54 UGX 19.9K

117.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$4.69 UGX 20.5K

198.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.03 UGX 8,894

95.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.22 UGX 5,329

27.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.29 UGX 5,665

68.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.15 UGX 5,019

89.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.23 UGX 5,371

59.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.23 UGX 5,401

29.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.77 UGX 3,362

49.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.51 UGX 2,253

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.42 UGX 10.6K

63.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$7.12 UGX 31.2K

92.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.07 UGX 4,705

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.84 UGX 8,051

22.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.50 UGX 2,181

154.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.31 UGX 1,376

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$3.04 UGX 13.3K

181.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.34 UGX 5,887

0.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$7,296 UGX 32.0M

366.92%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$7,304 UGX 32.0M

374.67%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$67.4 UGX 295.1K

151.78%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$11.43 UGX 50.1K

18.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$33.69 UGX 147.6K

-16.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.40 UGX 32.4K

-6.62%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$249 UGX 1.1M

219.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$8,064 UGX 35.3M

12.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$13.37 UGX 58.6K

533.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$12.76 UGX 55.9K

354.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$31.18 UGX 136.6K

332.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$42.98 UGX 188.3K

127.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

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 %)

10.94

20.75

-47.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iganga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Iganga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Iganga

$145 35.9% 51.2% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Iganga

$113 27.9% 46.8% $99

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Iganga

$84 20.8% 50.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Iganga

$45 11.2% 73.3% $124

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Iganga

$2.1 * 0.5% 97.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Iganga

$15 * 3.7% 74.3% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $24 in Iganga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $145 per month, with Iganga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇬 Iganga

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

65,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Iganga 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Iganga

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 Iganga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iganga is about 75% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $605 in Iganga 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.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $249 in Iganga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Iganga – a meal for two runs $24 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $404 in Iganga versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Iganga but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Iganga 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.