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

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 34% cheaper than San José without rent, and 3.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 31.6% cheaper than San José without rent, and 1.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 COP 22.7K

$16.42 UYU 640

-63.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.17 COP 124.7K

$54.9 UYU 2,142

-39.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 COP 27.4K

$10.81 UYU 422

-32.56%

Cappuccino

$1.63 COP 6,128

$4.26 UYU 166

-61.74%

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

$1.05 COP 3,944

$2.22 UYU 86.6

-52.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 COP 2,896

$1.71 UYU 66.9

-54.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 COP 6,505

$4.27 UYU 167

-59.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 COP 12.0K

$3.70 UYU 144

-14.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 COP 4,012

$1.01 UYU 39.47

5.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 COP 4,931

$1.97 UYU 76.9

-33.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 COP 5,191

$1.49 UYU 57.9

-7.38%

Eggs

$2.25 COP 8,450

$2.56 UYU 99.7

-12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.48 COP 16.9K

$12.33 UYU 481

-63.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 COP 21.6K

$7.55 UYU 294

-23.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 COP 33.3K

$10.91 UYU 425

-18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 COP 8,431

$1.25 UYU 48.67

79.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 COP 3,985

$1.46 UYU 56.8

-27.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 COP 5,693

$1.24 UYU 48.29

21.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 COP 5,115

$1.43 UYU 55.8

-4.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 COP 4,215

$1.02 UYU 39.66

9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 COP 4,397

$1.26 UYU 48.98

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 COP 3,392

$1.35 UYU 52.7

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 3,147

$1.66 UYU 64.8

-49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 COP 8,494

$5.12 UYU 200

-55.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.97 COP 37.5K

$10.43 UYU 407

-4.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 COP 4,448

$2.37 UYU 92.6

-50.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 COP 8,986

$3.01 UYU 117

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 COP 3,230

$1.25 UYU 48.61

-31.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.45 COP 155.9K

$43.66 UYU 1,703

-5.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 COP 5,517

$1.51 UYU 58.9

-2.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 COP 7,317

$1.51 UYU 59.0

29.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 COP 29.2K

$10.91 UYU 426

-28.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 COP 3,637

$1.83 UYU 71.3

-46.99%

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

$17.9K COP 67.5M

$34.8K UYU 1.4M

-48.36%

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

$26.7K COP 100.5M

$36.9K UYU 1.4M

-27.51%

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

$81.1 COP 305.0K

$174 UYU 6,805

-53.52%

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

$9.40 COP 35.4K

$16.56 UYU 646

-43.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.61 COP 88.8K

$49.55 UYU 1,932

-52.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.55 COP 96.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.29 COP 72.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.10 COP 15.4K

$10.59 UYU 413

-61.28%

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

$306 COP 1.2M

$480 UYU 18.7K

-36.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,899 COP 22.2M

$8,930 UYU 348.3K

-33.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 COP 224.9K

$93.3 UYU 3,640

-35.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.96 COP 120.2K

$47.53 UYU 1,854

-32.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 COP 386.2K

$115 UYU 4,490

-10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 405.6K

$124 UYU 4,829

-12.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 COP 1.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 COP 1.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 COP 3.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 COP 2.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 COP 10.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,320 COP 5.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$538 COP 2.0M

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: March 3, 2026

Last update for San José: March 2, 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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