Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Umag

For one person, living is cheaper in Umag: $1,532 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Umag
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Umag Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Umag

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Umag

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,532 in Umag, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Umag $1,532

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,439 in Umag, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Umag $2,439

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,345 in Umag, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Umag $3,345

Medellin costs about 5% more than Umag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Umag sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Umag by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$12.31 €10.99

-35.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$63.5 €56.7

-27.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$7.93 €7.08

19.80%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$2.18 €1.95

42.66%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$2.98 €2.66

-38.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,373

$2.25 €2.01

-38.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$3.33 €2.97

-8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$4.48 €4.00

22.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.24 €1.11

16.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$1.60 €1.43

47.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$2.72 €2.43

-38.24%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$3.89 €3.47

-26.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$14.81 €13.23

-31.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$11.80 €10.53

-19.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$17.92 €16.00

-21.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.29 €2.05

77.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.79 €1.60

-16.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$2.05 €1.83

5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$2.51 €2.24

-7.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$1.30 €1.16

48.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$1.13 €1.01

45.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$1.18 €1.05

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$1.39 €1.25

-10.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$5.90 €5.27

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$10.09 €9.01

32.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$1.68 €1.50

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

$2.56 €2.28

-7.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$1.81 €1.62

-33.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

$39.73 €35.48

92.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,192

$2.22 €1.98

-40.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$1.36 €1.21

57.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$11.94 €10.66

-29.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.92 €1.71

-32.29%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$27.7K €24.7K

1.08%

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$26.9K €24.0K

31.79%

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

$172 COP 547.3K

$215 €192

-19.81%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$22.92 €20.47

-41.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$40.61 €36.27

-29.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

$52.1 €46.54

-13.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

$15.38 €13.74

10.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$8.39 €7.49

-25.15%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$495 €442

55.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$9,808 €8,758

-8.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$107 €95.4

-19.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$43.30 €38.67

31.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$94.7 €84.6

44.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$110 €98.3

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$673 €601

56.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$458 €409

34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,148 €1,025

64.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$977 €873

4.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$4,640 €4,143

-12.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,948 €2,632

-43.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.3

231.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Umag: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Umag

$458 29.9% 25.6% $158

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Umag

$316 20.6% 7.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Umag

$278 18.2% 29.9% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Umag

$160 10.4% 6.1% $10

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Umag

$195 12.7% 15.8% $27

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Umag

$56 3.7% 40% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Umag

$69 4.5% 19.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $673 in Umag. 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $64.0 in Umag. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $316 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇭🇷 Umag

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Umag 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Umag

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 Umag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,298 in Umag. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $64.0 in Umag. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,532 in Umag. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Umag, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Umag it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Umag – 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 Umag. 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.