Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ube

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,240 in Ube, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Ube $1,240

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,925 in Ube, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Ube $1,925

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,610 in Ube, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Ube $2,610

Medellin costs about 37% more than Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Ube is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$6.98 ¥1,106

19.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$34.82 ¥5,516

33.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$5.61 ¥889

68.81%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.20 ¥507

-2.19%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.14 ¥181

55.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.81 ¥128

75.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.02 ¥320

55.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.09 ¥489

84.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.51 ¥240

1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.57 ¥249

45.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$4.80 ¥760

-59.58%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.20 ¥349

39.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$9.93 ¥1,573

0.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$6.37 ¥1,009

64.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$15.50 ¥2,455

-9.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.25 ¥832

-22.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$2.62 ¥415

-41.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$3.97 ¥629

-47.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$4.46 ¥707

-48.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$3.31 ¥524

-36.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$2.69 ¥427

-36.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.38 ¥218

-15.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.82 ¥130

92.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$4.04 ¥640

-3.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$6.65 ¥1,053

111.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.97 ¥312

-10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.35 ¥372

15.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$1.60 ¥253

-26.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$56.5 ¥8,948

35.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$3.39 ¥537

-46.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$2.90 ¥459

-26.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$21.04 ¥3,333

-61.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.18 ¥188

8.47%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

50.90%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$17.2K ¥2.7M

98.12%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$142 ¥22.5K

25.28%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$27.14 ¥4,299

-48.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$34.42 ¥5,453

-10.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$57.7 ¥9,147

-27.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$13.93 ¥2,207

20.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$12.94 ¥2,049

-42.27%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$277 ¥44.0K

184.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

-9.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$42.73 ¥6,769

102.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$29.68 ¥4,702

99.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$60.0 ¥9,502

130.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$91.1 ¥14.4K

8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$462 ¥73.2K

190.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$330 ¥52.3K

102.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$860 ¥136.2K

129.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$648 ¥102.6K

59.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,856 ¥452.4K

43.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,757 ¥278.3K

10.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.81

504.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Ube

$330 26.6% 50.5% $337

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Ube

$306 24.7% 0.5% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Ube

$203 16.4% 8.5% $19

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Ube

$135 10.9% 21.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Ube

$101 8.1% 41.6% $72

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Ube

$81 6.5% 13.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Ube

$84 6.8% 47% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $462 in Ube. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $35 in Ube. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $306 – making Ube the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

05:16 5:16 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

162,570

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Ube 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ube

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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,859 in Ube. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ube, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $462 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Ube. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Ube. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ube, where all-in costs run around $1,240, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Ube it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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