Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Masindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Masindi: $394 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 Masindi
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Masindi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Masindi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Masindi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $394 in Masindi.

Medellin $1,692
Masindi $394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $621 in Masindi.

Medellin $2,471
Masindi $621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $849 in Masindi.

Medellin $3,249
Masindi $849

Living in Medellin is roughly 330% more expensive than in Masindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Masindi is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$2.37 UGX 10.1K

251.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$23.57 UGX 100.7K

97.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.81 UGX 29.1K

39.06%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.46 UGX 10.5K

27.24%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.34 UGX 1,440

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.26 UGX 1,119

446.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.20 UGX 5,135

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.78 UGX 7,588

220.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$0.80 UGX 3,439

91.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.81 UGX 3,481

182.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.24 UGX 5,291

56.45%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.41 UGX 6,046

117.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$4.09 UGX 17.5K

144.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.32 UGX 18.5K

141.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$4.57 UGX 19.5K

205.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.04 UGX 8,717

98.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.39 UGX 5,958

10.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.20 UGX 5,140

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.24 UGX 5,290

84.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.20 UGX 5,109

75.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.25 UGX 5,359

36.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.74 UGX 3,172

58.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.49 UGX 2,098

222.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.31 UGX 9,872

69.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$6.97 UGX 29.8K

101.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.00 UGX 4,294

76.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.77 UGX 7,574

53.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.49 UGX 2,078

269.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.28 UGX 1,187

660.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$2.84 UGX 12.1K

186.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.41 UGX 6,019

-9.22%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$6,986 UGX 29.9M

392.96%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$6,992 UGX 29.9M

388.17%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$67.4 UGX 288.2K

163.58%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$10.93 UGX 46.7K

27.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$33.25 UGX 142.1K

-7.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.08 UGX 30.3K

5.51%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$263 UGX 1.1M

200.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$16.0K UGX 68.4M

-23.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$13.33 UGX 57.0K

547.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$12.33 UGX 52.7K

380.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$30.68 UGX 131.1K

350.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$40.51 UGX 173.1K

143.92%

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 13.3M

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 Masindi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Masindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Masindi

$141 35.9% 54% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Masindi

$112 28.4% 49.8% $111

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Masindi

$81 20.6% 53.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Masindi

$44 11.1% 74.7% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Masindi

$1.9 * 0.5% 98% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Masindi

$14 * 3.6% 75.1% $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 Masindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $141 per month, with Masindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇬 Masindi

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

23:35 11:35 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

94,622

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.34 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.08 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4,273 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.34 USD). 1 EUR = 4,811 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Masindi 11,900 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Masindi

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 Masindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masindi is about 77% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $590 in Masindi 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 117% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $394 in Masindi – Masindi is about 77% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $394 in Masindi versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masindi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Masindi 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.