Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mercedes and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mercedes: $1,290 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mercedes, Uruguay
Medellin, Colombia
Mercedes
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,290
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mercedes and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mercedes and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,290 per month in Mercedes vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Mercedes $1,290
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,960 per month in Mercedes vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Mercedes $1,960
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,631 per month in Mercedes vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Mercedes $2,631
  • Medellin $3,186

Mercedes is about 21% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Mercedes sits 5% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.66 UYU 630
$8.09 COP 25.4K
93.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.9 UYU 2,528
$47.05 COP 148.0K
33.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.04 UYU 565
$9.50 COP 29.9K
47.79%
Cappuccino
$2.50 UYU 100
$3.01 COP 9,485
-16.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 UYU 100
$1.80 COP 5,660
38.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 UYU 35.50
$1.41 COP 4,443
-37.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.42 UYU 97.2
$3.18 COP 9,990
-23.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.78 UYU 152
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-34.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 UYU 53.0
$1.51 COP 4,751
-12.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.90 UYU 117
$2.38 COP 7,480
21.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 UYU 57.4
$1.77 COP 5,573
-19.21%
Eggs
$2.69 UYU 108
$2.89 COP 9,093
-6.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.15 UYU 569
$10.19 COP 32.1K
38.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.47 UYU 461
$9.87 COP 31.1K
16.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.57 UYU 304
$13.99 COP 44.0K
-45.89%
Apples (1kg)
$1.94 UYU 77.8
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-51.13%
Banana (1kg)
$2.51 UYU 101
$1.55 COP 4,883
61.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.09 UYU 43.97
$2.18 COP 6,867
-50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 UYU 118
$2.18 COP 6,870
34.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 UYU 78.8
$1.96 COP 6,174
-
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 UYU 87.1
$1.59 COP 5,000
36.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 UYU 55.7
$1.15 COP 3,604
20.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 UYU 70.2
$1.24 COP 3,911
40.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.10 UYU 205
$3.96 COP 12.5K
28.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.23 UYU 331
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-39.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 UYU 93.1
$1.66 COP 5,222
39.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 UYU 112
$2.26 COP 7,104
23.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.17 COP 3,674
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.90 UYU 76.2
$1.27 COP 3,989
49.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.42 UYU 16.74
$2.05 COP 6,442
-79.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.56 UYU 425
$8.55 COP 26.9K
23.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.26 UYU 90.9
$1.35 COP 4,237
67.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.4K UYU 1.1M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
-22.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.1K UYU 1.5M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
4.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$186 UYU 7,498
$170 COP 533.7K
9.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.64 UYU 830
$13.55 COP 42.6K
52.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.41 UYU 1,746
$28.07 COP 88.3K
54.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.11 UYU 487
$6.91 COP 21.7K
75.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$632 UYU 25.4K
$797 COP 2.5M
-20.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.2K UYU 448.5K
$9,112 COP 28.7M
22.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 UYU 4,028
$84.7 COP 266.5K
18.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.4 UYU 2,267
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-2.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 UYU 4,859
$135 COP 424.6K
-10.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 UYU 5,234
$97.9 COP 307.9K
32.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$569 UYU 22.9K
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-52.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$302 UYU 12.1K
$642 COP 2.0M
-52.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$627 UYU 25.2K
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-69.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$441 UYU 17.7K
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-56.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,041 UYU 122.3K
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-27.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,016 UYU 81.1K
$1,910 COP 6.0M
5.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mercedes
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$657 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.65
10.94
-48.35%

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

Last update for Mercedes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mercedes
$302
Medellin
$642 113% $340
Groceries & Markets
Mercedes
$295
Medellin
$297 0.6% $1.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mercedes
$251
Medellin
$211 15.7% $39
Eating Out
Mercedes
$230
Medellin
$170 26.4% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Mercedes
$183
Medellin
$169 7.8% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Mercedes
$24 *
Medellin
$58 138% $33
Getting Around
Mercedes
$4 *
Medellin
$94 2251% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $569 in Mercedes versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 $63 in Mercedes versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Mercedes vs $297 in Medellin – so Mercedes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Mercedes
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
11:08 11:08 AM
09:08 9:08 AM
2 h behind Mercedes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
41,975
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.76 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mercedes Medellin 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mercedes
  • Medellin

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
Mercedes vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mercedes cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,935 per month in Mercedes and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mercedes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $569 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Mercedes or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Mercedes and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $632 per month in Mercedes and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Mercedes or in Medellin?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,290 in Mercedes and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Mercedes or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mercedes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Mercedes vs other spots: cost of living compared

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