Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: San José is 51.5% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San José is 46.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 1.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.42 UYU 640

$6.03 COP 22.7K

172.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 UYU 2,142

$33.17 COP 124.7K

65.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 UYU 422

$7.29 COP 27.4K

48.29%

Cappuccino

$4.26 UYU 166

$1.63 COP 6,128

161.35%

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

$2.22 UYU 86.6

$1.05 COP 3,944

111.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 UYU 66.9

$0.77 COP 2,896

122.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.27 UYU 167

$1.73 COP 6,505

146.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 UYU 144

$3.18 COP 12.0K

16.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 UYU 39.47

$1.07 COP 4,012

-5.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 UYU 76.9

$1.31 COP 4,931

50.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 UYU 57.9

$1.38 COP 5,191

7.97%

Eggs

$2.56 UYU 99.7

$2.25 COP 8,450

13.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 UYU 481

$4.48 COP 16.9K

175.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 UYU 294

$5.74 COP 21.6K

31.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 UYU 425

$8.86 COP 33.3K

23.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 UYU 48.67

$2.24 COP 8,431

-44.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 UYU 56.8

$1.06 COP 3,985

37.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 UYU 48.29

$1.51 COP 5,693

-17.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 UYU 55.8

$1.36 COP 5,115

5.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 UYU 39.66

$1.12 COP 4,215

-8.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 UYU 48.98

$1.17 COP 4,397

7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 UYU 52.7

$0.90 COP 3,392

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 UYU 64.8

$0.84 COP 3,147

97.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 UYU 200

$2.26 COP 8,494

126.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 UYU 407

$9.97 COP 37.5K

4.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 UYU 92.6

$1.18 COP 4,448

100.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 UYU 117

$2.39 COP 8,986

25.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 UYU 48.61

$0.86 COP 3,230

45.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.66 UYU 1,703

$41.45 COP 155.9K

5.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 UYU 58.9

$1.47 COP 5,517

2.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 UYU 59.0

$1.95 COP 7,317

-22.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 UYU 426

$7.76 COP 29.2K

40.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 UYU 71.3

$0.97 COP 3,637

88.66%

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

$34.8K UYU 1.4M

$17.9K COP 67.5M

93.64%

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

$36.9K UYU 1.4M

$26.7K COP 100.5M

37.95%

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

$174 UYU 6,805

$81.1 COP 305.0K

115.13%

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

$16.56 UYU 646

$9.40 COP 35.4K

76.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.55 UYU 1,932

$23.61 COP 88.8K

109.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.55 COP 96.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.29 COP 72.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 UYU 413

$4.10 COP 15.4K

158.29%

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

$480 UYU 18.7K

$306 COP 1.2M

56.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,930 UYU 348.3K

$5,899 COP 22.2M

51.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 UYU 3,640

$59.8 COP 224.9K

56.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.53 UYU 1,854

$31.96 COP 120.2K

48.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 UYU 4,490

$103 COP 386.2K

12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 UYU 4,829

$108 COP 405.6K

14.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 COP 1.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 COP 1.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 COP 3.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 COP 2.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 COP 10.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,320 COP 5.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$538 COP 2.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

13.43

-57.71%

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

Last update for San José: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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