Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Libertad

For one person, living is cheaper in Libertad: $1,070 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Libertad
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Libertad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Libertad

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Libertad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,070 in Libertad.

Medellin $1,692
Libertad $1,070

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,732 in Libertad.

Medellin $2,471
Libertad $1,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,394 in Libertad.

Medellin $3,249
Libertad $2,394

Living in Medellin is roughly 58% more expensive than in Libertad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Libertad is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$15.64 UYU 629

-46.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$68.0 UYU 2,733

-31.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$14.55 UYU 585

-34.91%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.53 UYU 182

-30.91%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$2.51 UYU 101

-29.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$1.88 UYU 75.5

-24.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$4.79 UYU 192

-34.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.71 UYU 149

53.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.25 UYU 50.4

22.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$2.87 UYU 115

-20.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$1.71 UYU 68.9

13.45%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$4.60 UYU 185

-33.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$14.15 UYU 569

-29.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$11.49 UYU 462

-9.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$12.12 UYU 487

15.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.75 UYU 111

47.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$2.78 UYU 112

-44.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$1.69 UYU 68.1

24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$3.11 UYU 125

-26.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$1.91 UYU 76.9

10.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$2.20 UYU 88.3

-22.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$1.41 UYU 56.7

-17.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$2.01 UYU 80.8

-21.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.54 UYU 223

-29.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$8.53 UYU 343

64.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$2.34 UYU 94.2

-24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$2.68 UYU 108

1.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$1.91 UYU 77.0

-5.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$1.01 UYU 40.79

110.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$12.69 UYU 510

-35.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$2.17 UYU 87.3

-41.01%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

29.51%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-6.31%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$187 UYU 7,531

-5.08%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$21.15 UYU 851

-34.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$42.99 UYU 1,729

-28.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$12.30 UYU 495

-39.27%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$615 UYU 24.7K

28.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$11.2K UYU 452.2K

9.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$99.2 UYU 3,989

-12.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$57.1 UYU 2,296

3.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$122 UYU 4,911

13.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$134 UYU 5,396

-26.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

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 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.65

93.63%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Libertad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Libertad

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Libertad

$329 30.8% 7.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Libertad

$251 23.5% 13.1% $29

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Libertad

$272 25.4% 57.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Libertad

$186 17.4% 7.8% $13

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Libertad

$7 * 0.7% 92.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Libertad

$25 * 2.3% 56.8% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $68 in Libertad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $330 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇾 Libertad

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,166

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.17 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Libertad 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Libertad

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 Libertad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,070 in Libertad, so Libertad is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,605 in Libertad 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.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $1,070 in Libertad – Libertad is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Libertad gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.