Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Union City, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $4,153 in Union City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
199

Cost of Living Index in Union City, CA
Learn more

Union City, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Union City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Union City, CA

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 Union City, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $4,153 in Union City, CA, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Union City, CA $4,153

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $6,121 in Union City, CA, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Union City, CA $6,121

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $8,090 in Union City, CA, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Union City, CA $8,090

Medellin is about 61% cheaper than Union City, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Union City, CA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Union City, CA by 206%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$22.48 $22.48

-63.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$101 $101

-53.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$13.05 $13.05

-29.20%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$5.59 $5.59

-45.44%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.95 $2.95

-38.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$2.45 $2.45

-43.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$8.02 $8.02

-59.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$9.84 $9.84

-43.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.27 $1.27

18.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$4.53 $4.53

-47.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$4.01 $4.01

-57.61%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$5.99 $5.99

-50.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$20.01 $20.01

-48.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$13.12 $13.12

-25.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.05 $9.05

53.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$5.19 $5.19

-20.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.95 $1.95

-21.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.68 $2.68

-17.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.35 $4.35

-47.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.23 $2.23

-10.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.91 $2.91

-42.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.44 $2.44

-51.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$2.50 $2.50

-50.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$11.66 $11.66

-66.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$15.61 $15.61

-11.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.45 $2.45

-32.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.30 $3.30

-27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.52 $3.52

-63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.87 $1.87

14.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$29.63 $29.63

-71.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.52 $1.52

-11.18%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.3K $27.3K

27.34%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$26.9K $26.9K

28.89%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$279 $279

-40.37%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$47.53 $47.53

-71.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$82.7 $82.7

-64.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$42.49 $42.49

6.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$16.76 $16.76

-58.41%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$1,841 $1,841

-57.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$39.2K $39.2K

-76.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$41.10 $41.10

113.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$51.6 $51.6

12.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$87.7 $87.7

58.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$122 $122

-18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$3,505 $3,505

-70.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$2,728 $2,728

-77.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$4,794 $4,794

-60.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$4,944 $4,944

-79.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$7,169 $7,169

-90.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.67

64.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Union City, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Union City, CA

$2.7K 65.7% 340% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Union City, CA

$423 10.2% 42% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Union City, CA

$410 9.9% 95.6% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Union City, CA

$136 3.3% 21.3% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Union City, CA

$367 8.9% 115% $197

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Union City, CA

$13 * 0.3% 86.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Union City, CA

$76 1.8% 28.8% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $3,505 in Union City, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 981% higher in Union City, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $101 in Union City, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $423 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Union City, CA

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

63,930

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Union City, CA 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Union City, CA

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 Union City, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Union City, CA is pricier by about 156%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $6,229 in Union City, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $101 in Union City, CA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Union City, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Union City, CA at $4,153. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Union City, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Union City, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.