Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between University Place, WA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,876 in University Place, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in University Place, WA
Learn more

University Place, WA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

University Place, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,876

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,876 per month in University Place, WA vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

University Place, WA $2,876
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $4,279 per month in University Place, WA vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

University Place, WA $4,279
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $5,682 per month in University Place, WA vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

University Place, WA $5,682
Medellin $3,249

University Place, WA costs about 70% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both University Place, WA and Medellin sit above the global median – University Place, WA by 113%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.38 $23.38

$8.34 COP 26.9K

180.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$46.53 COP 150.3K

116.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$9.47 COP 30.6K

28.30%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.13 COP 10.1K

94.25%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.77 COP 5,704

76.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.42 COP 4,600

121.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.15 COP 10.2K

151.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$5.70 COP 18.4K

37.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.53 COP 4,949

-28.10%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.29 COP 7,399

76.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.94 COP 6,281

206.70%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$3.07 COP 9,902

61.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.11 $16.11

$9.99 COP 32.3K

61.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.19 $18.19

$10.45 COP 33.7K

74.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.33 $23.33

$13.96 COP 45.1K

67.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.05 COP 13.1K

45.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.53 COP 4,936

15.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.10 COP 6,795

164.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.29 COP 7,407

95.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.11 COP 6,812

64.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.71 COP 5,519

64.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.17 COP 3,779

67.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.58 COP 5,102

93.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.43 $12.43

$3.91 COP 12.6K

217.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.17 $18.17

$14.04 COP 45.4K

29.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.76 COP 5,689

-0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.71 COP 8,758

82.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.18 COP 3,810

80.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 $65.8

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-13.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.81 COP 5,835

46.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.13 COP 6,876

-20.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 $30.49

$8.13 COP 26.3K

275.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.28 COP 4,118

13.28%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-18.98%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-22.39%

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

$233 $233

$178 COP 573.9K

31.11%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$13.89 COP 44.8K

394.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.6 $88.6

$30.74 COP 99.3K

188.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 $39.56

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-5.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 $17.88

$7.47 COP 24.1K

139.36%

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

$2,087 $2,087

$790 COP 2.6M

164.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

126.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 $60.3

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-30.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.90 $44.90

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-24.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 $130

$138 COP 446.7K

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$98.8 COP 319.1K

29.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 $1,573

$1,341 COP 4.3M

17.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$667 COP 2.2M

91.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 $2,599

$1,976 COP 6.4M

31.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,033 COP 3.3M

104.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,918 $2,918

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-28.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,644 $2,644

$1,940 COP 6.3M

36.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,149 $8,149

$646 COP 2.1M

1161.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

10.94

-39.31%

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

Last update for University Place, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

University Place, WA

$1.3K 44.5%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 47.9% $613

Groceries & Markets

University Place, WA

$505 17.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 39.1% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

University Place, WA

$390 13.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 43% $168

Eating Out

University Place, WA

$377 13.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 54.2% $204

Clothing & Footwear

University Place, WA

$163 5.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 5.6% $9.2

Getting Around

University Place, WA

$85 3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 9.4% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

University Place, WA

$75 2.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 24.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,573 in University Place, WA 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.

Salaries in University Place, WA are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in University Place, WA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $505 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 University Place, WA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

3 h ahead of University Place, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,866

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

University Place, WA Medellin 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

University Place, WA
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

University Place, WA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – University Place, WA is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,314 per month in University Place, WA 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $1,573 in University Place, WA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in University Place, WA and $47 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 $2,876 in University Place, WA and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 41% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in University Place, WA at $2,876. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in University Place, WA 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.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, University Place, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.