Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Uppsala

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,081 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Uppsala

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,081 in Uppsala, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Uppsala $2,081

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,256 in Uppsala, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Uppsala $3,256

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,431 in Uppsala, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Uppsala $4,431

Medellin is about 21% cheaper than Uppsala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Uppsala sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Uppsala by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$14.88 SEK 148

-45.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$79.0 SEK 784

-40.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.11 SEK 100

-6.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.83 SEK 47.97

-37.68%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.99 SEK 29.73

-39.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.45 SEK 24.30

-42.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$8.12 SEK 80.6

-60.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$10.25 SEK 102

-43.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.81 SEK 17.96

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.86 SEK 28.43

-16.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.76 SEK 47.23

-62.82%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.90 SEK 48.66

-41.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.96 SEK 98.9

2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$14.63 SEK 145

-32.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$17.91 SEK 178

-21.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.05 SEK 40.22

-1.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.75 SEK 27.28

-43.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.63 SEK 36.05

-39.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$5.30 SEK 52.6

-58.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.90 SEK 18.87

3.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.67 SEK 16.59

-4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.58 SEK 25.65

-55.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.33 SEK 13.19

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$7.84 SEK 77.8

-49.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.17 SEK 101

34.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.41 SEK 23.90

-31.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.61 SEK 25.90

-13.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$4.04 SEK 40.17

-71.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$112 SEK 1,114

-31.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.44 SEK 54.1

-76.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.33 SEK 13.20

54.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$62.8 SEK 624

-86.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.80 SEK 17.88

-25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$32.6K SEK 323.4K

4.62%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.5K SEK 333.0K

3.41%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$110 SEK 1,091

54.49%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$16.28 SEK 162

-16.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$48.41 SEK 481

-42.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$41.35 SEK 411

5.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$23.71 SEK 235

-27.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$17.96 SEK 178

-61.53%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$126 SEK 1,247

534.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$107 SEK 1,067

-21.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$48.84 SEK 485

18.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$96.6 SEK 959

39.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$205 SEK 2,032

-52.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

17.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$800 SEK 7,949

-19.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,590 SEK 15.8K

27.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,435 SEK 14.2K

-29.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$5,234 SEK 52.0K

-20.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,915 SEK 28.9K

-34.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,421 SEK 34.0K

-80.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.09

167.48%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Uppsala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Uppsala

$800 38.5% 24.8% $159

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Uppsala

$393 18.9% 32.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Uppsala

$175 8.4% 17.4% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Uppsala

$290 13.9% 71.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Uppsala

$206 9.9% 21.8% $37

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Uppsala

$140 6.8% 50.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Uppsala

$77 3.7% 34.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,026 in Uppsala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Uppsala are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $79 in Uppsala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $393 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

15:04 3:04 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

166,698

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Uppsala 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Uppsala

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 Uppsala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Uppsala is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,122 in Uppsala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uppsala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,026 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $79 in Uppsala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,081 in Uppsala. That’s a gap of about 27%.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,081 in Uppsala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,081 in Uppsala. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Uppsala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.