Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San José Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San José

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 39.9% cheaper than San José without rent, and 3.2% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 32.5% cheaper than San José without rent, and 3.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 COP 21.9K

$15.99 UYU 619

-62.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.40 COP 119.0K

$55.5 UYU 2,149

-41.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 COP 26.2K

$10.82 UYU 419

-34.10%

Cappuccino

$1.65 COP 6,043

$4.06 UYU 157

-59.36%

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

$1.06 COP 3,882

$2.15 UYU 83.3

-50.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 COP 2,839

$1.72 UYU 66.6

-55.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 COP 6,418

$4.30 UYU 167

-59.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 COP 11.2K

$3.75 UYU 145

-18.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 COP 4,026

$1.01 UYU 39.26

8.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 COP 4,771

$1.99 UYU 77.2

-34.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 COP 4,905

$1.48 UYU 57.4

-9.46%

Eggs

$2.26 COP 8,299

$2.57 UYU 99.5

-12.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.50 COP 16.5K

$12.08 UYU 468

-62.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 COP 21.3K

$7.31 UYU 283

-20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 COP 32.9K

$11.16 UYU 432

-19.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 COP 8,691

$1.20 UYU 46.46

97.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 COP 3,939

$1.45 UYU 56.2

-26.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 COP 5,418

$1.23 UYU 47.79

20.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 COP 5,011

$1.46 UYU 56.5

-6.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 COP 4,135

$0.94 UYU 36.22

20.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 4,161

$1.20 UYU 46.31

-5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,274

$1.36 UYU 52.6

-34.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 3,114

$1.69 UYU 65.4

-49.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 COP 8,361

$5.08 UYU 197

-55.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 COP 37.3K

$10.32 UYU 399

-1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 COP 4,359

$2.36 UYU 91.3

-49.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 8,828

$2.90 UYU 112

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 COP 3,074

$1.24 UYU 48.11

-32.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.85 COP 150.0K

$44.06 UYU 1,706

-7.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 COP 5,417

$1.49 UYU 57.7

-0.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 COP 6,949

$1.50 UYU 57.9

26.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.05 COP 29.5K

$10.94 UYU 424

-26.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 COP 3,455

$1.88 UYU 72.8

-50.00%

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

$17.7K COP 65.1M

$34.0K UYU 1.3M

-47.81%

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

$26.4K COP 96.8M

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

-26.23%

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

$81.9 COP 300.7K

$169 UYU 6,551

-51.61%

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

$9.54 COP 35.0K

$16.43 UYU 636

-41.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.68 COP 87.0K

$48.59 UYU 1,881

-51.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.85 COP 94.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 COP 68.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.05 COP 14.9K

$10.50 UYU 406

-61.43%

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

$316 COP 1.2M

$485 UYU 18.8K

-34.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,971 COP 21.9M

$8,800 UYU 340.7K

-32.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 COP 216.4K

$93.2 UYU 3,609

-36.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.49 COP 119.3K

$47.99 UYU 1,858

-32.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 COP 366.7K

$116 UYU 4,495

-14.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 394.9K

$122 UYU 4,709

-11.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 COP 1.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 COP 1.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 COP 3.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 COP 2.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,019 COP 11.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 COP 4.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

5.68

136.44%

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

Last update for Medellin: January 12, 2026

Last update for San José: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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