Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
Learn more

Chicago, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,037 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,037
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,518 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,518
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Chicago, IL $5,999
Medellin $3,186

Chicago, IL costs about 85% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chicago, IL and Medellin sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 123%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 $20.71

$8.09 COP 25.4K

156.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 $89.2

$47.05 COP 148.0K

89.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 $13.19

$9.50 COP 29.9K

38.84%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.01 COP 9,485

88.04%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.80 COP 5,660

46.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.41 COP 4,443

61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.18 COP 9,990

116.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$5.75 COP 18.1K

53.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.51 COP 4,751

-17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.38 COP 7,480

56.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.77 COP 5,573

204.52%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$2.89 COP 9,093

64.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$10.19 COP 32.1K

35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$9.87 COP 31.1K

45.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$13.99 COP 44.0K

31.38%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.97 COP 12.5K

31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.55 COP 4,883

27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.18 COP 6,867

86.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.18 COP 6,870

127.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.96 COP 6,174

36.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.59 COP 5,000

67.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.15 COP 3,604

94.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.24 COP 3,911

152.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 $13.82

$3.96 COP 12.5K

248.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$13.68 COP 43.0K

8.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.66 COP 5,222

53.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.26 COP 7,104

55.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.17 COP 3,674

107.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-4.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.27 COP 3,989

150.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.05 COP 6,442

-32.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$8.55 COP 26.9K

192.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.35 COP 4,237

-11.11%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

2.85%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.06%

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

$194 $194

$170 COP 533.7K

14.60%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$13.55 COP 42.6K

412.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$28.07 COP 88.3K

119.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

$43.70 COP 137.5K

9.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

$17.19 COP 54.1K

59.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 $17.81

$6.91 COP 21.7K

157.74%

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

$1,794 $1,794

$797 COP 2.5M

125.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

250.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-20.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-10.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$135 COP 424.6K

-24.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$97.9 COP 307.9K

46.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$1,208 COP 3.8M

109.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$642 COP 2.0M

145.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,738 $4,738

$2,028 COP 6.4M

133.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,012 COP 3.2M

166.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$4,170 COP 13.1M

0.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$1,910 COP 6.0M

44.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$657 COP 2.1M

650.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

10.94

-37.75%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 59.3% $936

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 33.6% $150

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 50.8% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 35.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3% $5

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 31.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,526 in Chicago, IL versus $1,208 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 in Chicago, IL are about 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

Same time as Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chicago, IL Medellin 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,037 in Chicago, IL, $1,639 in Medellin – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,555 per month in Chicago, IL and $2,459 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 $1,208 there versus $2,526 in Chicago, IL.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Chicago, 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 $89 in Chicago, IL and $47 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 $1,639, than in Chicago, IL at $3,037. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chicago, IL has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $3,037 in Chicago, 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, Chicago, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.