Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,895 in Alton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alton, IL
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Alton, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,895

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,895 per month in Alton, IL vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Alton, IL $1,895
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $2,862 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Alton, IL $2,862
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $3,829 per month in Alton, IL vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Alton, IL $3,829
Medellin $3,199

Alton, IL costs about 17% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton, IL and Medellin sit above the global median – Alton, IL by 40%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.30 COP 26.3K

150.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$46.91 COP 148.7K

18.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$9.24 COP 29.3K

20.89%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.05 COP 9,676

62.30%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$1.80 COP 5,707

-18.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.38 COP 4,382

26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.24 COP 10.3K

20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$5.56 COP 17.6K

5.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.50 COP 4,760

-46.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.37 COP 7,508

9.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.70 COP 5,377

84.12%

Eggs

$3.16 $3.16

$2.96 COP 9,379

6.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-8.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-30.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.42 $23.42

$13.90 COP 44.1K

68.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$4.13 COP 13.1K

3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.53 COP 4,839

-22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.22 COP 7,052

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.27 COP 7,194

115.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.99 COP 6,311

11.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.67 COP 5,285

64.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.18 COP 3,742

77.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.24 COP 3,919

69.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 $11.08

$3.87 COP 12.3K

186.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.66 COP 5,256

10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.40 COP 7,615

11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.28 COP 4,044

131.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.15 COP 6,803

-21.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.35 COP 4,288

-27.41%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-19.85%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-25.06%

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

$331 $331

$167 COP 528.4K

98.70%

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

$43.44 $43.44

$13.62 COP 43.2K

218.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.7 $77.7

$29.12 COP 92.3K

166.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 $27.07

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-39.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 $11.95

$6.97 COP 22.1K

71.45%

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

$279 $279

$790 COP 2.5M

-64.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.36 $40.36

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-54.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-26.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$139 COP 440.7K

-52.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 $76.1

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-23.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 $627

$620 COP 2.0M

1.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-41.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$1,008 COP 3.2M

26.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,513 $1,513

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-62.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,455 $1,455

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-14.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,813 $3,813

$663 COP 2.1M

474.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-45.16%

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

Last update for Alton, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alton, IL

$627 33.1%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 1.2% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton, IL

$452 23.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 53.7% $243

Groceries & Markets

Alton, IL

$349 18.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 14.6% $51

Eating Out

Alton, IL

$303 16%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 43.6% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Alton, IL

$101 5.3%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 70.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Alton, IL

$51 2.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 15.8% $8.1

Getting Around

Alton, IL

$11 * 0.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 733% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Alton, IL versus $1,028 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 475% higher in Alton, IL, 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 $56.0 in Alton, IL versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alton, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

Same time as Alton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,676

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alton, IL Medellin 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Alton, IL
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

Alton, IL vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alton, IL costs about 17% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,842 per month in Alton, IL and $2,437 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,895 in Alton, IL and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 17%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Alton, IL and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Alton, IL at $1,895. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,625 versus $1,895 in Alton, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.