Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lugazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugazi: $389 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Lugazi
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Lugazi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Lugazi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lugazi

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $389 in Lugazi, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Lugazi $389

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $614 in Lugazi, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Lugazi $614

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $838 in Lugazi, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Lugazi $838

Medellin costs about 335% more than Lugazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Lugazi is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.40 UGX 10.1K

247.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$22.97 UGX 96.9K

102.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.08 UGX 29.8K

33.76%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.39 UGX 10.1K

30.96%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.33 UGX 1,409

436.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.24 UGX 1,010

491.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.14 UGX 4,795

176.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.77 UGX 7,479

222.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$0.80 UGX 3,365

91.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.79 UGX 3,338

189.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.24 UGX 5,214

56.45%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.35 UGX 5,703

127.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

147.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.16 UGX 17.6K

151.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$4.52 UGX 19.1K

208.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.99 UGX 8,374

103.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.34 UGX 5,651

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.25 UGX 5,266

68.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.23 UGX 5,201

86.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.13 UGX 4,787

86.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.25 UGX 5,276

36.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$0.70 UGX 2,958

67.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.50 UGX 2,093

216.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.37 UGX 10.0K

64.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.05 UGX 29.7K

99.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.01 UGX 4,278

74.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.83 UGX 7,725

48.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.46 UGX 1,921

293.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.30 UGX 1,278

610.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$2.86 UGX 12.1K

184.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.37 UGX 5,757

-6.57%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$6,887 UGX 29.0M

400.07%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$7,149 UGX 30.2M

377.45%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$65.4 UGX 275.9K

171.68%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$11.16 UGX 47.1K

24.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$32.67 UGX 137.8K

-5.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.85 UGX 28.9K

9.05%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$268 UGX 1.1M

195.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$16.2K UGX 68.3M

-24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$13.05 UGX 55.0K

561.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$12.49 UGX 52.7K

374.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$30.97 UGX 130.6K

346.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$41.40 UGX 174.6K

138.67%

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

20.75

-47.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lugazi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Lugazi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Lugazi

$139 35.8% 54.7% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Lugazi

$109 28.1% 50.9% $113

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Lugazi

$81 20.7% 53.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Lugazi

$44 11.3% 74.4% $128

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Lugazi

$2 * 0.5% 97.9% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Lugazi

$14 * 3.5% 75.9% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $23 in Lugazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $139 – making Lugazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇬 Lugazi

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

128,400

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,739 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Lugazi 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lugazi

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 Lugazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 335% more than Lugazi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $583 in Lugazi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $23 in Lugazi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Lugazi, where all-in costs run around $389, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Lugazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $389 in Lugazi to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.