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

😐 Solo nomad: San José is 66.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 3.1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San José is 48.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 3.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.99 UYU 619

$5.97 COP 21.9K

167.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 UYU 2,149

$32.40 COP 119.0K

71.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 UYU 419

$7.13 COP 26.2K

51.75%

Cappuccino

$4.06 UYU 157

$1.65 COP 6,043

146.06%

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

$2.15 UYU 83.3

$1.06 COP 3,882

102.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 UYU 66.6

$0.77 COP 2,839

123.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 UYU 167

$1.75 COP 6,418

145.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 UYU 145

$3.06 COP 11.2K

22.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 UYU 39.26

$1.10 COP 4,026

-8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 UYU 77.2

$1.30 COP 4,771

53.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 UYU 57.4

$1.34 COP 4,905

10.45%

Eggs

$2.57 UYU 99.5

$2.26 COP 8,299

13.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 UYU 468

$4.50 COP 16.5K

168.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.31 UYU 283

$5.80 COP 21.3K

26.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 UYU 432

$8.96 COP 32.9K

24.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 UYU 46.46

$2.37 COP 8,691

-49.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 UYU 56.2

$1.07 COP 3,939

35.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 UYU 47.79

$1.48 COP 5,418

-16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 UYU 56.5

$1.36 COP 5,011

7.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 UYU 36.22

$1.13 COP 4,135

-16.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 UYU 46.31

$1.13 COP 4,161

6.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 UYU 52.6

$0.89 COP 3,274

52.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 UYU 65.4

$0.85 COP 3,114

98.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 UYU 197

$2.28 COP 8,361

122.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 UYU 399

$10.15 COP 37.3K

1.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 UYU 91.3

$1.19 COP 4,359

98.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 UYU 112

$2.40 COP 8,828

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 UYU 48.11

$0.84 COP 3,074

47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.06 UYU 1,706

$40.85 COP 150.0K

7.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 UYU 57.7

$1.48 COP 5,417

0.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 UYU 57.9

$1.89 COP 6,949

-20.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 UYU 424

$8.05 COP 29.5K

35.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 UYU 72.8

$0.94 COP 3,455

100.00%

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

$34.0K UYU 1.3M

$17.7K COP 65.1M

91.60%

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

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

$26.4K COP 96.8M

35.56%

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

$169 UYU 6,551

$81.9 COP 300.7K

106.64%

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

$16.43 UYU 636

$9.54 COP 35.0K

72.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 UYU 1,881

$23.68 COP 87.0K

105.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.85 COP 94.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 COP 68.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.50 UYU 406

$4.05 COP 14.9K

159.26%

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

$485 UYU 18.8K

$316 COP 1.2M

53.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,800 UYU 340.7K

$5,971 COP 21.9M

47.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 UYU 3,609

$59.0 COP 216.4K

58.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.99 UYU 1,858

$32.49 COP 119.3K

47.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 UYU 4,495

$99.9 COP 366.7K

16.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 UYU 4,709

$108 COP 394.9K

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 COP 1.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 COP 1.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 COP 3.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 COP 2.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,019 COP 11.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 COP 4.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 COP 1.9M

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: January 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: January 12, 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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