Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San José, Uruguay

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San José

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $913 in San José, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
San José $913

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,449 in San José, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
San José $1,449

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,985 in San José, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
San José $1,985

Medellin costs about 78% more than San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San José is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$12.95 UYU 519

-35.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$43.87 UYU 1,758

6.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$13.82 UYU 554

-33.14%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$4.88 UYU 196

-37.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.38 UYU 95.5

-24.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$2.19 UYU 87.8

-36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$2.92 UYU 117

10.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$3.48 UYU 140

59.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$0.99 UYU 39.72

51.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,447

$2.01 UYU 80.6

17.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$1.47 UYU 58.9

15.65%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$2.62 UYU 105

12.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$12.01 UYU 481

-14.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$7.26 UYU 291

34.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$12.07 UYU 484

15.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.22 UYU 48.70

238.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.54 UYU 61.7

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$1.21 UYU 48.64

83.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,136

$1.54 UYU 61.6

47.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$0.98 UYU 39.44

103.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$1.28 UYU 51.4

30.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,712

$1.49 UYU 59.6

-20.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$1.99 UYU 79.8

-37.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$9.82 UYU 394

-60.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$8.17 UYU 327

68.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$3.05 UYU 122

-45.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$3.35 UYU 134

-28.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$3.50 UYU 140

-63.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,748

$3.45 UYU 138

-37.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$9.95 UYU 399

-15.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,253

$2.15 UYU 86.2

-37.21%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-4.53%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-13.40%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$113 UYU 4,542

47.09%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$23.78 UYU 953

-42.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$47.11 UYU 1,888

-38.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$12.35 UYU 495

-43.56%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$494 UYU 19.8K

60.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$6,691 UYU 268.2K

35.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$88.3 UYU 3,538

-0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$37.57 UYU 1,506

54.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$164 UYU 6,593

-15.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$117 UYU 4,693

-15.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

118.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

San José

$256 28.1% 13.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

San José

$184 20.2% 12% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

San José

$183 20.1% 6.1% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

San José

$243 26.7% 42.5% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 78.2% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 58.2% $34

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 $44 in San José. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $256 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

36,747

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,521 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 40.08 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.88 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin San José 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,369 in San José. 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 $44 in San José. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,625 in Medellin and $913 in San José. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in San José to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.