Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Appleton, WI and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,114 in Appleton, WI, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Appleton, WI
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Appleton, WI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Appleton, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,114

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,114 per month in Appleton, WI vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Appleton, WI $2,114
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,257 per month in Appleton, WI vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Appleton, WI $3,257
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,400 per month in Appleton, WI vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Appleton, WI $4,400
Medellin $3,190

Appleton, WI costs about 31% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Appleton, WI and Medellin sit above the global median – Appleton, WI by 57%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 $18.17

$7.93 COP 25.2K

129.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.1 $65.1

$46.13 COP 146.3K

41.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 $11.10

$9.50 COP 30.1K

16.84%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$3.11 COP 9,866

72.67%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$1.83 COP 5,800

41.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.38 COP 4,360

67.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.05 COP 9,672

51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$5.50 COP 17.4K

10.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.45 COP 4,600

-28.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.36 COP 7,496

29.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.68 COP 5,328

205.36%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$2.86 COP 9,077

58.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$10.19 COP 32.3K

39.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-12.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 $15.52

$14.04 COP 44.5K

10.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$4.07 COP 12.9K

18.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.50 COP 4,742

-11.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.17 COP 6,891

44.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.31 COP 7,310

89.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.93 COP 6,113

10.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.64 COP 5,196

60.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.13 COP 3,571

95.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.25 COP 3,954

151.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 $10.94

$3.99 COP 12.6K

174.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$13.35 COP 42.3K

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.70 COP 5,384

3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.37 COP 7,525

40.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.32 COP 4,179

143.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.14 COP 6,774

-35.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.33 $24.33

$8.47 COP 26.8K

187.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.30 COP 4,114

-24.62%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

26.64%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-28.19%

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

$174 $174

$172 COP 545.6K

1.23%

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

$44.20 $44.20

$13.37 COP 42.4K

230.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$28.73 COP 91.1K

114.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.46 $23.46

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-48.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.62 $39.62

$17.04 COP 54.0K

132.51%

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$6.28 COP 19.9K

131.69%

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

$1,508 $1,508

$770 COP 2.4M

95.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K $31.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

248.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.23 $39.23

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-54.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.89 $24.89

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-56.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.0 $50.0

$137 COP 432.9K

-63.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$97.9 COP 310.4K

13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 $1,524

$1,055 COP 3.3M

44.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 $992

$616 COP 2.0M

61.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-4.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,023 COP 3.2M

85.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,257 $2,257

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-44.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,278 $2,278

$1,678 COP 5.3M

35.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,999 $3,999

$652 COP 2.1M

513.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

10.94

-41.77%

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

Last update for Appleton, WI: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Appleton, WI

$992 46.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 37.9% $376

Groceries & Markets

Appleton, WI

$380 18%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 22.5% $86

Eating Out

Appleton, WI

$298 14.1%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 43.5% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Appleton, WI

$280 13.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 23.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Appleton, WI

$101 4.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 68.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Appleton, WI

$53 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 10% $5.3

Getting Around

Appleton, WI

$10 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 818% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,524 in Appleton, WI 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 513% higher in Appleton, WI, 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 $65.0 in Appleton, WI versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Appleton, WI

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

Same time as Appleton, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,139

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

COP to USD in detail →

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Appleton, WI Medellin 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Appleton, WI
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

Appleton, WI vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Appleton, WI is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,170 per month in Appleton, WI 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 $65.0 in Appleton, WI and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Appleton, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Appleton, WI at $2,114. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Appleton, WI 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, Appleton, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.