Medellín vs Colonia del Sacramento
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
✓in Colonia del Sacramento cheaper — −53%
Internet
✓in Medellín cheaper — −66%
Ready-made house
✓in Medellín cheaper — −12%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per monthMedellín≈ $939–2,090COP 3.1–6.9M✓Colonia del Sacramento≈ $619–793UYU 25–32kcheaper by 53%Piped gas
✓Medellín≈ $1.08 per m³COP 3,559.88 per m³cheaper by 7%Colonia del Sacramento≈ $1.15UYU 46.64Internet
per month✓Medellín≈ $23–27COP 75,900–90,321cheaper by 66%Colonia del Sacramento≈ $41–108UYU 1,650–4,342Winter
averageMedellín17–27 °C17–27 °CColonia del Sacramento11 °C11 °CPrecipitation
per yearMedellín1,673 mm1,673 mmColonia del Sacramento1,144.5 mm1,144.5 mmReady-made house
purchase✓Medellín≈ $164–279kCOP 540–920Mcheaper by 12%Colonia del Sacramento$155–350k$155–350k
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Daily life
Medellín
A housing stratum from 1 to 6 appears in the listing and in the tariffs. In 5–6 electricity is 20% more expensive than in 4, water 1.5–1.6 times. A three-bedroom in stratum 4 is about 3.3 million pesos, in 6 - 8 million.
OfficialEPM: electricity rates, regulated market, September 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
The 2023 census counted 135,797 people in the department of Colonia, about 4% of Uruguay's population. The source gives no separate figure for the city.
OfficialINE: final results of the 2023 census, population by department · checked 6 Oct 2026
Housing
Medellín
Three-bedroom apartment: Belén and Sabaneta 3.1–3.3 million pesos a month, Laureles and Envigado 4.5 million, El Poblado 6.9 million. Listing medians.
SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for rent in El Poblado · checked 29 Sep 2026
Three-bedroom resale: Sabaneta about 540 million pesos, Laureles 725 million, El Poblado 873 million, Envigado 920 million. These are listing prices, not transaction prices.
SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for sale in El Poblado · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
A two-bedroom house or apartment in listings costs 25–32 thousand pesos a month, median 27 thousand (about 670 dollars). Furnished or by the rambla: in dollars.
SpecialistInfoCasas: houses and apartments for rent in Colonia del Sacramento, all six pages of results (about 120 listings) · checked 6 Oct 2026
A three-bedroom house in listings costs 155–350 thousand dollars, median 230 thousand. Two bedrooms: 100–160 thousand, median 135 thousand.
SpecialistInfoCasas: houses for sale in Colonia del Sacramento, first four pages of results (85 houses out of more than 400 listings) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Money and prices
Medellín
The DANE minimum food basket for Medellín is 240,728 pesos per person per month, about 963k for a family of four. Figures for 2025.
OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 29 Sep 2026
A family of four in Medellín is considered poor with an income below 2.4 million pesos a month, about $730 (2025). The average income is 1.93 million per person.
OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
Nothing yet
Family and kids
Medellín
The international The Columbus School in Envigado for 2026–27: 4.3 million pesos a month from August to May plus a 4.8 million fee in June. This is the upper bound.
SpecialistThe Columbus School: fees for the 2026-27 school year · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
Nothing yet
Healthcare
Medellín
In the Newsweek 2026 ranking for Colombia, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe is 3rd, San Vicente Fundación 8th, and six more clinics of the metropolitan area are in the top 45. The ranking is commercial.
SpecialistNewsweek and Statista: World’s Best Hospitals 2026, Colombia · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
The local FONASA health provider is ORAMECO (Alberto Méndez 170). The department also has CAMEC in Rosario and CAMOC in Carmelo. The BPS list is old, from 2018.
OfficialBPS: list of FONASA providers with the full range of services · checked 6 Oct 2026
Transport
Medellín
A ride on the metro, tram, cable car or Metroplús with a personalized Cívica card costs 3,820 pesos, 4,400 with an anonymous card, 1,600 for students.
OfficialMetro de Medellín: fares by Cívica card profile · checked 29 Sep 2026
The main airport, José María Córdova, is in Rionegro, about 35 km from the city. In 2025 it handled 14.6 million passengers, 4.2 million of them international.
SpecialistLadevi: José María Córdova airport, passenger record in 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
To Buenos Aires by Colonia Express ferry in 1 h 15 min, five sailings a day each way. From Montevideo a bus with a transfer to the ferry takes 3 h 30 min.
SpecialistColonia Express: Colonia – Buenos Aires ferry timetable, September–October 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Climate
Medellín
No winter: the average monthly temperature is 21–22.5 degrees all year round. Coolest in October: on average from 16.6 at night to 26.8 during the day.
OfficialIDEAM: climate table, Olaya Herrera airport (Medellín) · checked 29 Sep 2026
About 1,670 mm a year and 224 days with rain. Two wet seasons, April–May and September–November; driest in December–February.
OfficialIDEAM: climate table, Olaya Herrera airport (Medellín) · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
The 1991–2020 July normal is 11.0 °C: about 15 by day, about 7 at night. Frosts are rare; the absolute minimum over 30 years was minus 2.6 °C.
OfficialINUMET: 1991–2020 climate normals, Colonia station · checked 6 Oct 2026
About 1,145 mm a year with no dry season: from 69 mm in June and August to 126 mm in March. About 75 days a year with at least 1 mm of rain.
OfficialINUMET: 1991–2020 climate normals, Colonia station · checked 6 Oct 2026
Safety
Medellín
In 2025 there were 326 murders, about 13 per 100k residents; for the country in 2024 it was 25.4. In El Poblado and Laureles there are few murders, the most are in the center.
SpecialistQue Pasa Medallo: homicides in Medellín in 2025 according to SISC · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
In 2025 Uruguay had 369 homicides, 10.3 per 100 thousand. Colonia is not among the four departments with the most, where fourth place is 13 cases.
SpecialistMontevideo Portal: preliminary Interior Ministry data on homicides in 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Internet and phone
Medellín
Tigo gives 500 Mbit/s for 75,900 pesos a month in strata 1–3 and for 90,321 in strata 4–6, VAT included. On the cable network the upload is only 15 Mbit/s.
SpecialistTigo: terms of the Full Tigo package for Medellín and the metropolitan area, January 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
Antel fibre: 400/30 Mbit/s for 1,650 pesos a month, 1 Gbit/s for 4,342 pesos, taxes included. The price list is the same nationwide.
OfficialAntel: data tariff price list, 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Services
Medellín
EPM network gas in strata 3–4: 3,560 pesos per m³ plus a fixed charge of 4,390 a month. For 30 m³ it comes to about 111k pesos ($34). In stratum 6 the price is 4,272 per m³.
OfficialEPM: piped gas tariffs, Valle de Aburrá, September 2026 consumption (October bills) · checked 29 Sep 2026
Electricity for 200 kWh and water for 15 m³ at EPM tariffs: stratum 4 about 342k pesos a month, strata 5–6 - 455–470k, stratum 3 - 306k. Gas and garbage are extra.
OfficialEPM: electricity rates, regulated market, September 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
EPM electricity for 300 kWh a month: stratum 4 about 288k pesos ($87), stratum 6 about 345k, stratum 3 about 269k. September 2026 tariff, excluding fees.
OfficialEPM: electricity tariffs, regulated market, September 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Colonia del Sacramento
UTE's tariff is the same nationwide: 6.744–8.452 pesos per kWh. 300 kWh with 3 kW of power is about 2,940 pesos a month (73 dollars); the decree is silent on taxes.
OfficialDecree 339/025: UTE tariffs from 1 January 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
OSE outside the resort zone: for 15 m³ a month, water is about 1,065 pesos, with sewerage about 1,940 pesos (48 dollars). Tariff from 1 January 2026.
OfficialDecree 340/025: OSE water and sewerage tariffs from 1 January 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Colonia has a Conecta natural gas network: 46.6 pesos per m³ plus 380 a month, before taxes. 30 m³ is about 1,780 pesos, 100 m³ in winter about 5,040.
OfficialConecta: maximum natural gas tariffs in the department of Colonia from 1 August 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

