Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carbondale, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,759 in Carbondale, IL, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Carbondale, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

85

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Carbondale, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,759

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Carbondale, IL versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Carbondale, IL $1,759
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Carbondale, IL versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Carbondale, IL $2,131
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,503 in Carbondale, IL versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Carbondale, IL $2,503
Medellin $3,199

Living in Carbondale, IL is roughly 8% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carbondale, IL 30% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 $17.85

$8.30 COP 26.3K

115.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.28 $38.28

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-18.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 $9.16

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-0.87%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$3.05 COP 9,676

67.87%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$1.80 COP 5,707

27.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.38 COP 4,382

40.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.24 COP 10.3K

41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$5.56 COP 17.6K

47.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.50 COP 4,760

-38.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.37 COP 7,508

30.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.70 COP 5,377

142.35%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.96 COP 9,379

25.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$10.22 COP 32.4K

29.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$9.74 COP 30.9K

17.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$13.90 COP 44.1K

35.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$4.13 COP 13.1K

35.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.53 COP 4,839

17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$2.22 COP 7,052

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.27 COP 7,194

116.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.99 COP 6,311

-18.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.67 COP 5,285

43.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.18 COP 3,742

123.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.24 COP 3,919

74.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.04 $9.04

$3.87 COP 12.3K

133.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-4.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.66 COP 5,256

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.40 COP 7,615

-33.33%

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)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.28 COP 4,044

58.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.15 COP 6,803

-35.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.64 $19.64

$8.37 COP 26.5K

134.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.35 COP 4,288

-23.70%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-20.85%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-21.32%

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

$185 $185

$167 COP 528.4K

11.20%

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

$85.5 $85.5

$13.62 COP 43.2K

527.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.6 $75.6

$29.12 COP 92.3K

159.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$6.97 COP 22.1K

71.02%

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

$1,702 $1,702

$790 COP 2.5M

115.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

171.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.99 $46.99

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-46.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.23 $33.23

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-42.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$139 COP 440.7K

-40.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$98.9 COP 313.5K

52.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 $656

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 $554

$620 COP 2.0M

-10.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$994 $994

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-75.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 $1,003

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-41.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,801 $3,801

$663 COP 2.1M

473.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

10.94

-39.67%

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

Last update for Carbondale, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carbondale, IL

$554 31.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 11.8% $65

Groceries & Markets

Carbondale, IL

$396 22.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 24.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carbondale, IL

$346 19.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 39.5% $137

Eating Out

Carbondale, IL

$288 16.4%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 40.7% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Carbondale, IL

$141 8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 22.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Carbondale, IL

$24 * 1.4%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 148% $35

Getting Around

Carbondale, IL

$9 * 0.5%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 960% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $656 in Carbondale, IL and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carbondale, IL pays 473% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Carbondale, IL vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $396 vs $298, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Carbondale, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

Same time as Carbondale, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,881

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Carbondale, IL Medellin 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Carbondale, 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

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

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Carbondale, IL. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 473% higher in Carbondale, IL, 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: $656 in Carbondale, IL versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Carbondale, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,759 per month in Carbondale, IL versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,759 in Carbondale, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Carbondale, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Carbondale, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.