Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ushuaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $957 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
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Ushuaia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ushuaia

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $957 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Ushuaia $957

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,570 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Ushuaia $1,570

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,183 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Ushuaia $2,183

Medellin costs about 69% more than Ushuaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ushuaia is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.38 ARS 15.8K

-23.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$33.08 ARS 50.2K

39.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.06 ARS 13.7K

4.86%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.78 ARS 4,224

11.87%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.67 ARS 2,528

9.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.54 ARS 2,330

-10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.16 ARS 3,274

41.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.04 ARS 4,610

80.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.31 ARS 1,984

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.57 ARS 2,388

50.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.02 ARS 3,069

-16.83%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.27 ARS 3,449

25.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.15 ARS 15.4K

0.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.35 ARS 9,633

50.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.23 ARS 14.0K

52.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.01 ARS 3,052

102.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.06 ARS 3,132

-27.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.27 ARS 1,933

70.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.62 ARS 3,980

-11.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.17 ARS 1,779

64.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.19 ARS 1,809

37.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.32 ARS 2,005

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.45 ARS 2,197

-13.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.11 ARS 4,716

28.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.02 ARS 7,625

165.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.97 ARS 2,994

-13.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.02 ARS 4,583

-21.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.77 ARS 1,173

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.47 ARS 2,224

-10.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.86 ARS 1,308

148.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.86 ARS 8,894

44.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.10 ARS 1,671

18.18%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

0.36%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$30.4K ARS 46.1M

16.65%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$65.8 ARS 99.8K

161.57%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$17.24 ARS 26.2K

-22.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$22.31 ARS 33.9K

28.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$26.50 ARS 40.2K

70.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$13.68 ARS 20.8K

24.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.16 ARS 9,341

1.95%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$220 ARS 333.3K

250.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,731 ARS 4.1M

229.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$75.1 ARS 113.9K

15.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

-18.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$114 ARS 173.1K

19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$111 ARS 168.4K

-11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$342 ARS 519.2K

208.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$233 ARS 354.2K

163.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$694 ARS 1.1M

172.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$537 ARS 814.2K

90.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,848 ARS 2.8M

119.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,594 ARS 2.4M

5.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

58.5

-81.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ushuaia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ushuaia

$233 24.4% 62.1% $382

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ushuaia

$231 24.1% 21.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ushuaia

$105 11% 50.8% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ushuaia

$167 17.4% 2% $3.4

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ushuaia

$173 18.1% 2.9% $4.9

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ushuaia

$8.9 * 0.9% 90.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ushuaia

$39 4.1% 32.8% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $342 in Ushuaia. 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 $33.00 in Ushuaia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $231 – making Ushuaia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

11:04 11:04 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

79,538

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ushuaia 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ushuaia

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 Ushuaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 69%, 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 $1,436 in Ushuaia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ushuaia, 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 $33.00 in Ushuaia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ushuaia, where all-in costs run around $957, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Ushuaia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ushuaia – 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 Ushuaia. 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.