Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,639 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,639 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,639
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,597 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,597
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,556 per month in Brookings, SD vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,556
Medellin $3,249

Brookings, SD costs about 56% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brookings, SD and Medellin sit above the global median – Brookings, SD by 95%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$8.34 COP 27.0K

108.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.21 $39.21

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-15.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$9.47 COP 30.7K

21.65%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$3.13 COP 10.2K

44.41%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.77 COP 5,728

38.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.42 COP 4,620

41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.15 COP 10.2K

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.70 COP 18.5K

19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.53 COP 4,971

-41.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.29 COP 7,431

60.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$1.94 COP 6,308

231.96%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$3.07 COP 9,945

14.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$9.99 COP 32.4K

3.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$10.45 COP 33.9K

30.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-6.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$4.05 COP 13.1K

41.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.53 COP 4,957

18.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.10 COP 6,825

214.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.29 COP 7,439

121.40%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.11 COP 6,841

111.37%

Onion (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.71 COP 5,543

149.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.17 COP 3,795

94.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.58 COP 5,125

28.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 $12.84

$3.91 COP 12.7K

228.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.76 COP 5,714

64.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.71 COP 8,796

114.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.81 COP 5,860

170.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.13 COP 6,906

-21.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.75 $23.75

$8.13 COP 26.4K

192.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.28 COP 4,136

-18.75%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-14.16%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-24.13%

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

$184 $184

$178 COP 576.4K

3.75%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$13.89 COP 45.0K

312.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$30.74 COP 99.7K

125.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$7.47 COP 24.2K

61.04%

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

$1,316 $1,316

$790 COP 2.6M

66.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K $36.7K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

198.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 $42.51

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-50.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-41.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$138 COP 448.7K

-35.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$98.8 COP 320.5K

5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$1,341 COP 4.3M

27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$667 COP 2.2M

118.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,033 COP 3.3M

103.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 $2,339

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-42.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$1,940 COP 6.3M

22.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

10.94

-49.73%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 54.3% $792

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$421 16%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 27% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 28.5% $89

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 40.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 41.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 136% $33

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 606% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Brookings, SD 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $421 in Brookings, SD vs $307 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

1 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brookings, SD Medellin 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 56% 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 $3,958 per month in Brookings, SD 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 $1,715 in Brookings, SD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Brookings, SD, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Brookings, SD at $2,639. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD 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.