Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Minas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Minas: $1,069 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Minas
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Minas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,069

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Minas 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 Minas and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,069 per month in Minas vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Minas $1,069
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Minas vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Minas $1,734
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,400 per month in Minas vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Minas $2,400
Medellin $3,199

Minas is about 34% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Minas sits 21% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 UYU 597

$8.30 COP 26.3K

79.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,799

$46.91 COP 148.7K

48.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.61 UYU 586

$9.24 COP 29.3K

58.12%

Cappuccino

$4.66 UYU 187

$3.05 COP 9,676

52.79%

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

$2.77 UYU 111

$1.80 COP 5,707

53.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$1.38 COP 4,382

45.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 UYU 196

$3.24 COP 10.3K

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 UYU 154

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-30.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.50 COP 4,760

-7.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 UYU 116

$2.37 COP 7,508

22.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 UYU 69.1

$1.70 COP 5,377

1.18%

Eggs

$4.61 UYU 185

$2.96 COP 9,379

55.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.12 UYU 567

$10.22 COP 32.4K

38.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 UYU 455

$9.74 COP 30.9K

16.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 UYU 482

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-13.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 UYU 115

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-30.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 UYU 113

$1.53 COP 4,839

84.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.22 COP 7,052

-22.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 UYU 124

$2.27 COP 7,194

36.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 UYU 76.9

$1.99 COP 6,311

-3.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 UYU 86.2

$1.67 COP 5,285

28.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.5

$1.18 COP 3,742

21.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 UYU 76.3

$1.24 COP 3,919

53.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 214

$3.87 COP 12.3K

37.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 UYU 341

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-38.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.6

$1.66 COP 5,256

36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 UYU 114

$2.40 COP 7,615

18.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 UYU 30.54

$1.24 COP 3,944

-38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 UYU 75.5

$1.28 COP 4,044

46.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$2.15 COP 6,803

-81.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.47 UYU 420

$8.37 COP 26.5K

25.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$1.35 COP 4,288

60.00%

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

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-23.95%

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

$36.8K UYU 1.5M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

6.19%

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

$186 UYU 7,459

$167 COP 528.4K

11.52%

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

$20.60 UYU 827

$13.62 COP 43.2K

51.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.30 UYU 1,818

$29.12 COP 92.3K

55.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 UYU 499

$6.97 COP 22.1K

78.34%

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

$615 UYU 24.7K

$790 COP 2.5M

-22.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.2K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

22.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,185

$87.8 COP 278.4K

18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,284

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 UYU 4,899

$139 COP 440.7K

-12.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 UYU 5,247

$98.9 COP 313.5K

32.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.94

-47.53%

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

Last update for Minas: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Minas

$329 30.8%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 9.6% $32

Eating Out

Minas

$270 25.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 36.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Minas

$252 23.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 16.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Minas

$186 17.4%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 7.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Minas

$25 * 2.3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 138% $34

Getting Around

Minas

$6.9 * 0.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 1276% $88

Accommodation & Living

Minas

- * 0%

Medellin

$619 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Minas versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Minas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

2 h behind Minas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,446

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Minas Medellin 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Minas
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

Minas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,604 per month in Minas and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Minas and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Minas, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Minas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Minas – 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 Minas. 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.