Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Minas: $1,065 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 Minas
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Minas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Minas

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,065 in Minas, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Minas $1,065

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,730 in Minas, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Minas $1,730

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,395 in Minas, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Minas $2,395

Medellin costs about 59% more than Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Minas is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$15.50 UYU 624

-46.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$68.2 UYU 2,742

-31.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$14.93 UYU 601

-36.57%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.35 UYU 175

-28.05%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$2.51 UYU 101

-29.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$1.87 UYU 75.1

-24.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$4.88 UYU 196

-35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.66 UYU 147

55.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.29 UYU 51.9

18.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.94 UYU 118

-22.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.72 UYU 69.0

12.79%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$4.62 UYU 186

-33.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$13.93 UYU 560

-28.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$11.34 UYU 456

-7.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$12.19 UYU 490

14.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.87 UYU 116

41.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$2.80 UYU 113

-45.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.69 UYU 67.9

24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$3.19 UYU 128

-28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.95 UYU 78.4

8.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$2.21 UYU 88.7

-22.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.41 UYU 56.5

-17.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.95 UYU 78.3

-18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.35 UYU 215

-26.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$8.26 UYU 332

69.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.69 UYU 108

0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.77 UYU 30.96

53.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.82 UYU 73.2

-0.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.05 UYU 42.42

102.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$12.74 UYU 512

-36.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-42.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

30.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

-4.31%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$181 UYU 7,260

-1.55%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$21.03 UYU 846

-33.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$42.55 UYU 1,711

-27.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$12.43 UYU 500

-39.90%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$619 UYU 24.9K

27.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$11.4K UYU 457.3K

8.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$101 UYU 4,065

-14.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$55.4 UYU 2,228

6.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$125 UYU 5,011

11.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$134 UYU 5,405

-26.48%

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 Minas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Minas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Minas

$329 30.9% 7.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Minas

$244 22.9% 9.8% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Minas

$270 25.4% 56.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Minas

$187 17.6% 8.5% $15

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Minas

$10 * 1% 89.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Minas

$25 * 2.3% 56.3% $32

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 $68 in Minas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $329 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇾 Minas

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

01:05 1:05 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

38,446

💱 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 = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 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 = 45.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Minas 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Minas

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 Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,598 in Minas. 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 $68 in Minas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,065 in Minas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,065 in Minas to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.