Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José, Uruguay and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in San José vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

San José $913
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,449 per month in San José vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

San José $1,449
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,985 per month in San José vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

San José $1,985
Medellin $3,199

San José is about 44% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San José sits 33% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 519

$8.30 COP 26.1K

56.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,758

$46.91 COP 147.5K

-6.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 554

$9.24 COP 29.1K

49.57%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$3.05 COP 9,596

60.00%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.5

$1.80 COP 5,659

32.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.8

$1.38 COP 4,345

58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$3.24 COP 10.2K

-9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$5.56 COP 17.5K

-37.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.72

$1.50 COP 4,720

-34.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.6

$2.37 COP 7,445

-15.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 58.9

$1.70 COP 5,332

-13.53%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$2.96 COP 9,301

-11.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 481

$10.22 COP 32.1K

17.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$9.74 COP 30.6K

-25.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$13.90 COP 43.7K

-13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.70

$4.13 COP 13.0K

-70.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$1.53 COP 4,799

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.64

$2.22 COP 6,993

-45.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.6

$2.27 COP 7,135

-32.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.44

$1.99 COP 6,258

-50.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.4

$1.67 COP 5,241

-23.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.6

$1.18 COP 3,711

26.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.8

$1.24 COP 3,886

60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$3.87 COP 12.2K

153.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 327

$13.78 COP 43.3K

-40.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 122

$1.66 COP 5,212

83.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 134

$2.40 COP 7,552

39.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 140

$1.28 COP 4,011

173.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 138

$2.15 COP 6,747

60.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$8.37 COP 26.3K

18.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.2

$1.35 COP 4,252

59.26%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$34.8K COP 109.3M

4.74%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

15.47%

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

$113 UYU 4,542

$167 COP 524.0K

-32.01%

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

$23.78 UYU 953

$13.62 COP 42.8K

74.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,888

$29.12 COP 91.6K

61.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 495

$6.97 COP 21.9K

77.19%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$790 COP 2.5M

-37.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.2K

$9,041 COP 28.4M

-25.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,538

$87.8 COP 276.1K

0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,506

$58.2 COP 182.8K

-35.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,593

$139 COP 437.0K

18.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,693

$98.9 COP 310.9K

18.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

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 %)

10.94

-54.30%

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

Last update for San José: 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

San José

$256 28.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 16.2% $41

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 29.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 13.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 5.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 139% $34

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 359% $74

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 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 $44 in San José versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $298 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

10:13 10:13 AM

2 h behind San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

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 = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 40.08 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.97 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San José Medellin 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San José
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

San José vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in San José 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 $44 in San José and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $913 in San José and $1,625 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in San José to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.