Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,081 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,081

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,081 per month in Uppsala vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Uppsala $2,081
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,256 per month in Uppsala vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Uppsala $3,256
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Uppsala vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Uppsala $4,431
Medellin $3,186

Uppsala costs about 27% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Uppsala and Medellin sit above the global median – Uppsala by 53%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.88 SEK 148

$8.09 COP 25.4K

83.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 SEK 786

$47.05 COP 148.0K

67.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 SEK 101

$9.50 COP 29.9K

6.42%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.07

$3.01 COP 9,485

60.47%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.79

$1.80 COP 5,660

66.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 SEK 24.35

$1.41 COP 4,443

73.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 SEK 80.8

$3.18 COP 9,990

155.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.25 SEK 102

$5.75 COP 18.1K

78.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.99

$1.51 COP 4,751

19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 SEK 28.49

$2.38 COP 7,480

20.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 SEK 47.33

$1.77 COP 5,573

168.93%

Eggs

$4.90 SEK 48.77

$2.89 COP 9,093

69.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 SEK 99.1

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 SEK 146

$9.87 COP 31.1K

48.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.91 SEK 178

$13.99 COP 44.0K

28.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 SEK 40.31

$3.97 COP 12.5K

2.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 SEK 27.33

$1.55 COP 4,883

77.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 SEK 36.13

$2.18 COP 6,867

66.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 SEK 52.7

$2.18 COP 6,870

143.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 SEK 18.90

$1.96 COP 6,174

-3.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.63

$1.59 COP 5,000

5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 SEK 25.70

$1.15 COP 3,604

124.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SEK 13.22

$1.24 COP 3,911

7.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.84 SEK 78.0

$3.96 COP 12.5K

97.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 101

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 SEK 23.95

$1.66 COP 5,222

45.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 SEK 25.96

$2.26 COP 7,104

15.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 SEK 40.25

$1.17 COP 3,674

245.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 SEK 1,116

$77.4 COP 243.4K

44.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 SEK 54.2

$1.27 COP 3,989

328.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 SEK 13.23

$2.05 COP 6,442

-35.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.8 SEK 625

$8.55 COP 26.9K

634.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.92

$1.35 COP 4,237

33.33%

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

$32.6K SEK 324.1K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-4.42%

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

$33.5K SEK 333.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-3.30%

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

$110 SEK 1,093

$170 COP 533.7K

-35.27%

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

$16.28 SEK 162

$13.55 COP 42.6K

20.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 SEK 482

$28.07 COP 88.3K

72.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.35 SEK 412

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-5.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.71 SEK 236

$17.19 COP 54.1K

37.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.96 SEK 179

$6.91 COP 21.7K

159.91%

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

$126 SEK 1,249

$797 COP 2.5M

-84.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 SEK 1,069

$84.7 COP 266.5K

26.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.84 SEK 486

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-15.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 SEK 961

$135 COP 424.6K

-28.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$205 SEK 2,036

$97.9 COP 307.9K

109.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-15.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 SEK 7,966

$642 COP 2.0M

24.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 SEK 15.8K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-21.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 SEK 14.3K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

41.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,234 SEK 52.1K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

25.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,915 SEK 29.0K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

52.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,421 SEK 34.0K

$657 COP 2.1M

420.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

10.94

-62.61%

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

Last update for Uppsala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uppsala

$800 38.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 19.9% $159

Groceries & Markets

Uppsala

$393 18.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 24.4% $96

Eating Out

Uppsala

$290 13.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 41.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Uppsala

$206 9.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 17.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uppsala

$175 8.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 21.1% $37

Getting Around

Uppsala

$140 6.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 33.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Uppsala

$77 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Uppsala versus $1,208 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 Uppsala are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Uppsala versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

6 h behind Uppsala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,698

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Uppsala Medellin 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Uppsala
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

Uppsala vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Uppsala is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,122 per month in Uppsala and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uppsala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,026 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Uppsala 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 $2,081 in Uppsala and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 27%.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,081 in Uppsala and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,081 in Uppsala. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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