Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,818 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,818

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,818 in Burlington, IA versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Burlington, IA $1,818
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Burlington, IA versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Burlington, IA $2,753
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,688 in Burlington, IA versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Burlington, IA $3,688
Medellin $3,249

Living in Burlington, IA is roughly 7% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, IA 34% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.52 $11.52

$8.34 COP 27.0K

38.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$46.53 COP 150.9K

27.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-3.59%

Cappuccino

$4.77 $4.77

$3.13 COP 10.2K

52.40%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$1.77 COP 5,727

11.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.42 COP 4,619

37.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.15 COP 10.2K

11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-20.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.53 COP 4,969

-43.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.29 COP 7,429

25.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.94 COP 6,306

130.41%

Eggs

$3.03 $3.03

$3.07 COP 9,942

-1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 $11.60

$9.99 COP 32.4K

16.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$10.45 COP 33.9K

14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 $14.30

$13.96 COP 45.3K

2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.05 COP 13.1K

3.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.53 COP 4,956

24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.10 COP 6,823

123.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.29 COP 7,437

103.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.11 COP 6,839

31.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.71 COP 5,542

54.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.17 COP 3,794

24.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.58 COP 5,123

34.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.91 COP 12.7K

106.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 $15.91

$14.04 COP 45.5K

13.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.76 COP 5,712

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.71 COP 8,793

-12.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.18 COP 3,825

67.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 $61.0

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-20.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.81 COP 5,859

167.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.13 COP 6,904

-50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.11 $22.11

$8.13 COP 26.4K

171.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.28 COP 4,135

-31.25%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-33.20%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-26.39%

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

$184 $184

$178 COP 576.3K

3.34%

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

$46.38 $46.38

$13.89 COP 45.0K

233.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 $58.7

$30.74 COP 99.7K

90.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.81 $39.81

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-5.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$7.47 COP 24.2K

58.37%

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

$1,186 $1,186

$790 COP 2.6M

50.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

25.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.45 $44.45

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-48.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 $30.47

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-48.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$138 COP 448.6K

-36.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.77 $37.77

$98.8 COP 320.4K

-61.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 $735

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$667 COP 2.2M

5.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 $1,208

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-38.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 $1,285

$1,033 COP 3.3M

24.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,057 $1,057

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-74.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,034 $1,034

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-46.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,380 $4,380

$646 COP 2.1M

577.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

10.94

-40.22%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 38.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 5.6% $40

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$371 20.4%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 17% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$289 15.9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 23% $66

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$219 12.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 21.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$91 5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 90.2% $82

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$79 4.4%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 18.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$63 3.5%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 10.4% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Burlington, IA and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Burlington, IA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

1 h ahead of Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 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 = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Burlington, IA Medellin 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Burlington, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Burlington, IA is about 6.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $735 in Burlington, IA versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,186 in Burlington, IA versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Burlington, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Burlington, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.