Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Maldonado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,368 in Maldonado.

Medellin $1,625
Maldonado $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Medellin $2,412
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,988 in Maldonado.

Medellin $3,199
Maldonado $2,988

Living in Medellin is roughly 19% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Maldonado 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$14.87 UYU 597

-44.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$54.9 UYU 2,202

-14.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$13.91 UYU 558

-33.57%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.57 UYU 183

-33.26%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.65 UYU 106

-32.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$2.10 UYU 84.2

-34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.95 UYU 118

9.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.62 UYU 145

53.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.13 UYU 45.19

32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.70 UYU 109

-12.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.77 UYU 71.1

-3.95%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.98 UYU 160

-25.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$14.11 UYU 566

-27.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$11.31 UYU 454

-13.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.61 UYU 466

19.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.79 UYU 112

48.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.14 UYU 86.0

-28.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.75 UYU 70.2

26.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$3.15 UYU 126

-27.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.00 UYU 80.2

-0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-16.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.43 UYU 57.4

-17.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.95 UYU 78.3

-36.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.51 UYU 221

-29.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.13 UYU 326

69.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.32 UYU 93.3

-28.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.71 UYU 109

-11.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.41 UYU 56.8

-12.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$48.89 UYU 1,962

59.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.40 UYU 136

-62.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.44 UYU 17.53

388.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$10.25 UYU 411

-18.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.24 UYU 89.9

-39.73%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

30.56%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-6.20%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$116 UYU 4,644

44.04%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$19.18 UYU 770

-28.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$45.04 UYU 1,808

-35.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$48.23 UYU 1,936

-6.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$30.20 UYU 1,212

-43.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$12.05 UYU 484

-42.16%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$496 UYU 19.9K

59.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

38.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$90.3 UYU 3,625

-2.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$37.34 UYU 1,498

55.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$125 UYU 5,014

11.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$118 UYU 4,729

-16.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$426 UYU 17.1K

141.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$315 UYU 12.7K

96.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$919 UYU 36.9K

104.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$601 UYU 24.1K

67.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

42.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

10.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

-34.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

118.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Maldonado

$315 23.1% 49.1% $304

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Maldonado

$317 23.2% 6.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Maldonado

$180 13.2% 14.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Maldonado

$167 12.2% 3.5% $6

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Maldonado

$257 18.8% 50.2% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Maldonado

$60 4.4% 36.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Maldonado

$72 5.3% 22.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $426 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maldonado pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $55.0 in Maldonado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $317 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

62,592

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 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 October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Maldonado 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Maldonado

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 Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Maldonado differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $1,368 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Maldonado. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $426 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $496 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Maldonado are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.