Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ube and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,240 per month in Ube vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Ube $1,240
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,925 per month in Ube vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Ube $1,925
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,610 per month in Ube vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Ube $2,610
Medellin $3,249

Ube is about 27% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ube sits 8% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.98 ¥1,106

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-16.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.82 ¥5,518

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-25.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ¥889

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-40.76%

Cappuccino

$3.20 ¥508

$3.13 COP 10.2K

2.24%

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

$1.14 ¥181

$1.77 COP 5,728

-35.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$1.42 COP 4,620

-42.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ¥320

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-35.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥489

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-45.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥240

$1.53 COP 4,971

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥249

$2.29 COP 7,431

-31.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 ¥760

$1.94 COP 6,308

147.42%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥349

$3.07 COP 9,945

-28.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 ¥1,573

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-0.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 ¥1,010

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 ¥2,456

$13.96 COP 45.3K

11.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ¥832

$4.05 COP 13.1K

29.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥415

$1.53 COP 4,957

71.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 ¥629

$2.10 COP 6,825

89.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 ¥707

$2.29 COP 7,439

94.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 ¥525

$2.11 COP 6,841

56.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ¥427

$1.71 COP 5,543

57.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.17 COP 3,795

17.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥131

$1.58 COP 5,125

-48.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥640

$3.91 COP 12.7K

3.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 ¥1,054

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-52.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.76 COP 5,714

11.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ¥372

$2.71 COP 8,796

-13.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 ¥253

$1.18 COP 3,826

35.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 ¥8,952

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-25.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 ¥538

$1.81 COP 5,860

87.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥459

$2.13 COP 6,906

36.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.04 ¥3,334

$8.13 COP 26.4K

158.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥188

$1.28 COP 4,136

-7.81%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-33.73%

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

$17.2K ¥2.7M

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-49.53%

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

$142 ¥22.5K

$178 COP 576.4K

-20.18%

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

$27.14 ¥4,301

$13.89 COP 45.0K

95.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.42 ¥5,455

$30.74 COP 99.7K

11.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ¥9,150

$41.94 COP 136.0K

37.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.93 ¥2,208

$16.80 COP 54.5K

-17.08%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 ¥2,050

$7.47 COP 24.2K

73.23%

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

$277 ¥44.0K

$790 COP 2.6M

-64.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$12.3K COP 39.9M

10.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.73 ¥6,772

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-50.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.68 ¥4,704

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-49.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 ¥9,505

$138 COP 448.7K

-56.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 ¥14.4K

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥73.3K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-65.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ¥52.3K

$667 COP 2.2M

-50.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 ¥136.2K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-56.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ¥102.7K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-37.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,856 ¥452.6K

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-30.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,757 ¥278.4K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-9.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

10.94

-83.46%

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

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ube

$330 26.6%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 102% $337

Groceries & Markets

Ube

$306 24.7%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 0.5% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ube

$203 16.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 9.3% $19

Eating Out

Ube

$135 10.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 27.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Ube

$101 8.1%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 71.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Ube

$84 6.8%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 32% $27

Getting Around

Ube

$81 6.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 15.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $462 in Ube versus $1,341 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 $35 in Ube versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $307 – making Ube the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ube

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

15:03 3:03 PM

14 h behind Ube

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,570

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,651 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Ube Medellin 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ube
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

Ube vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,859 per month in Ube and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ube, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $462 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ube and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Ube. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ube, where all-in costs run around $1,240, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Ube it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ube – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.