Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Salto

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,332 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Salto

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,332 in Salto, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Salto $1,332

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,921 in Salto, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Salto $1,921

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,510 in Salto, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Salto $2,510

Medellin costs about 19% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Salto is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$15.98 UYU 642

-49.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$37.19 UYU 1,493

25.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$11.86 UYU 476

-20.49%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$3.26 UYU 131

-10.74%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$2.21 UYU 88.9

-20.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$1.57 UYU 63.0

-15.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.57 UYU 183

-31.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$3.08 UYU 124

80.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$1.40 UYU 56.1

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$2.12 UYU 85.0

15.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$1.50 UYU 60.2

8.67%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$5.34 UYU 215

-47.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$15.05 UYU 604

-35.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$8.73 UYU 350

6.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$9.86 UYU 396

36.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$1.27 UYU 50.9

214.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$2.16 UYU 86.6

-31.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$1.24 UYU 49.86

70.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$1.86 UYU 74.7

20.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$0.90 UYU 35.99

112.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$1.66 UYU 66.7

-2.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.89 UYU 35.73

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$1.53 UYU 61.3

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$5.29 UYU 213

-27.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$7.55 UYU 303

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$1.91 UYU 76.8

-16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$2.61 UYU 105

-13.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.60 UYU 23.95

95.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$29.75 UYU 1,194

152.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$3.61 UYU 145

-43.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$1.95 UYU 78.2

-34.87%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$200 UYU 8,020

-18.80%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$21.70 UYU 871

-39.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$29.62 UYU 1,189

-5.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$36.74 UYU 1,475

20.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$12.46 UYU 500

31.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$9.93 UYU 399

-38.67%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

$4,463 UYU 179.2K

99.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$85.5 UYU 3,432

-0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$55.9 UYU 2,244

2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$114 UYU 4,569

15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$67.1 UYU 2,693

42.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$438 UYU 17.6K

134.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$300 UYU 12.1K

101.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$749 UYU 30.1K

140.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$417 UYU 16.7K

138.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$628 UYU 25.2K

-0.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Salto

$300 22.7% 50.3% $304

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Salto

$272 20.6% 5.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Salto

$251 19% 23.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Salto

$145 11% 12.9% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Salto

$247 18.7% 48.3% $80

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Salto

$50 * 3.8% 45% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Salto

$57 4.3% 0.2% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $438 in Salto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 0% higher in Salto, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $37.00 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $272 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

104,028

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Salto 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,998 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 152% less in Salto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $1,332, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salto – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Salto. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.