Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Champaign, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
Learn more

Champaign, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Champaign, IL vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Champaign, IL $2,161
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Champaign, IL vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Champaign, IL $3,133
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in Champaign, IL vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Champaign, IL $4,106
Medellin $3,190

Champaign, IL costs about 34% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Champaign, IL and Medellin sit above the global median – Champaign, IL by 60%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$7.93 COP 25.2K

92.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$46.13 COP 146.3K

31.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$9.50 COP 30.1K

6.42%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$3.11 COP 9,866

55.31%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.83 COP 5,800

17.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.38 COP 4,360

25.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.05 COP 9,672

82.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 $5.35

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.45 COP 4,600

-41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.36 COP 7,496

33.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.68 COP 5,328

86.31%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.86 COP 9,077

35.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 $12.19

$10.19 COP 32.3K

19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-37.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-8.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-15.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.50 COP 4,742

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.17 COP 6,891

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.31 COP 7,310

97.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.93 COP 6,113

4.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.64 COP 5,196

35.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.13 COP 3,571

95.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.25 COP 3,954

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$3.99 COP 12.6K

156.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$13.35 COP 42.3K

10.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.70 COP 5,384

26.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.37 COP 7,525

72.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.21 COP 3,827

-19.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.38 $20.38

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-73.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.32 COP 4,179

90.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.14 COP 6,774

-25.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.30 COP 4,114

-10.77%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

25.49%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-8.93%

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

$240 $240

$172 COP 545.6K

39.42%

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

$45.66 $45.66

$13.37 COP 42.4K

241.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$28.73 COP 91.1K

135.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.34 $25.34

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-43.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.85 $11.85

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-30.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$6.28 COP 19.9K

76.59%

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

$993 $993

$770 COP 2.4M

28.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

121.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.98 $48.98

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-43.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$137 COP 432.9K

-15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$97.9 COP 310.4K

24.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$1,055 COP 3.3M

37.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 $1,016

$616 COP 2.0M

64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 $1,941

$1,892 COP 6.0M

2.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,023 COP 3.2M

65.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 $1,688

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-58.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$1,678 COP 5.3M

1.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,674 $3,674

$652 COP 2.1M

463.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.94

-37.66%

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

Last update for Champaign, IL: 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

Champaign, IL

$1K 47%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 39.4% $400

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 39.4% $139

Groceries & Markets

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 6.8% $22

Eating Out

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 36.3% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 31.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 21.7% $10

Getting Around

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 169% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,453 in Champaign, IL 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 463% higher in Champaign, 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 $61.0 in Champaign, IL versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

Same time as Champaign, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,302

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Champaign, IL Medellin 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Champaign, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,161 in Champaign, IL, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,241 per month in Champaign, IL 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.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Champaign, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Champaign, IL and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $2,161 in Champaign, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Champaign, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.