Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,140 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
Learn more

Ulm Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,140

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,140 per month in Ulm vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Ulm $2,140
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,245 per month in Ulm vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Ulm $3,245
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,350 per month in Ulm vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Ulm $4,350
Medellin $3,190

Ulm costs about 33% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ulm and Medellin sit above the global median – Ulm by 59%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €14.94

$7.93 COP 25.2K

111.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.2

$46.13 COP 146.3K

44.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.84

$9.50 COP 30.1K

40.11%

Cappuccino

$3.84 €3.42

$3.11 COP 9,866

23.47%

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

$4.64 €4.13

$1.83 COP 5,800

153.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.38 COP 4,360

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 €4.11

$3.05 COP 9,672

51.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.45 COP 4,600

1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.36 COP 7,496

-13.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 €3.68

$1.68 COP 5,328

146.43%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.24

$2.86 COP 9,077

27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$10.19 COP 32.3K

40.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.74

$9.53 COP 30.2K

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 €22.72

$14.04 COP 44.5K

81.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.50 COP 4,742

47.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.17 COP 6,891

-11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.31 COP 7,310

69.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.93 COP 6,113

-44.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.64 COP 5,196

-31.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.13 COP 3,571

46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.25 COP 3,954

-4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 €8.53

$3.99 COP 12.6K

140.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.70 COP 5,384

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.37 COP 7,525

-35.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 €2.76

$1.21 COP 3,827

156.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 €57.3

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-15.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.30 COP 4,114

63.85%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

15.04%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

6.91%

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

$377 €336

$172 COP 545.6K

119.21%

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

$34.04 €30.28

$13.37 COP 42.4K

154.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 €47.05

$28.73 COP 91.1K

84.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.61 €29.89

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-25.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.70 €20.19

$17.04 COP 54.0K

33.22%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 €11.95

$6.28 COP 19.9K

114.01%

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

$441 €393

$770 COP 2.4M

-42.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

44.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 €80.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

4.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 €49.08

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-3.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 €79.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-34.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$97.9 COP 310.4K

50.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-11.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 €666

$616 COP 2.0M

21.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 €1,628

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-3.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 €1,308

$1,023 COP 3.2M

43.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,901 €5,249

$4,059 COP 12.9M

45.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,524

$1,678 COP 5.3M

136.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,737 €3,324

$652 COP 2.1M

472.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

10.94

-63.71%

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

Last update for Ulm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulm

$749 35%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 17.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$464 21.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 53.9% $250

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$339 15.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 13.2% $45

Eating Out

Ulm

$279 13%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 39.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$172 8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 1.2% $2.1

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 21.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$60 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 4.4% $2.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $931 in Ulm versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 473% higher in Ulm, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Ulm versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

7 h behind Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulm Medellin 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ulm is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,211 per month in Ulm and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Ulm and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,140 in Ulm and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 33%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Ulm at $2,140. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ulm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.