Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,299 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,299 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Des Moines, IA $2,299
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Des Moines, IA $3,459
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,618 in Des Moines, IA versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Des Moines, IA $4,618
Medellin $3,249

Living in Des Moines, IA is roughly 36% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Moines, IA 70% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 $19.89

$8.34 COP 27.0K

138.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$46.53 COP 150.9K

119.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$9.47 COP 30.7K

24.60%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.13 COP 10.2K

108.95%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.77 COP 5,727

67.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.42 COP 4,619

73.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.15 COP 10.2K

60.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 $5.65

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.53 COP 4,969

-43.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.29 COP 7,429

31.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.94 COP 6,306

67.01%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$3.07 COP 9,942

26.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-5.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$10.45 COP 33.9K

64.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$13.96 COP 45.3K

35.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.05 COP 13.1K

29.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.53 COP 4,956

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.10 COP 6,823

134.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.29 COP 7,437

62.01%

Potato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.11 COP 6,839

104.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.71 COP 5,542

30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.17 COP 3,794

135.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.58 COP 5,123

92.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$3.91 COP 12.7K

159.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 $14.81

$14.04 COP 45.5K

5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.76 COP 5,712

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.71 COP 8,793

8.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.18 COP 3,825

44.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 $57.8

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-24.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.81 COP 5,859

9.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.13 COP 6,904

-41.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 $19.83

$8.13 COP 26.4K

143.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.28 COP 4,135

-21.09%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-21.94%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-25.14%

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

$191 $191

$178 COP 576.3K

7.53%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$13.89 COP 45.0K

280.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$30.74 COP 99.7K

151.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.80 $33.80

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-19.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 $20.24

$16.80 COP 54.5K

20.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 $9.86

$7.47 COP 24.2K

31.99%

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

$1,313 $1,313

$790 COP 2.6M

66.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

18.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 $77.0

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-10.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 $56.1

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-5.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$138 COP 448.6K

-25.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 $166

$98.8 COP 320.4K

67.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 $1,218

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 $918

$667 COP 2.2M

37.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 $2,058

$1,976 COP 6.4M

4.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 $1,422

$1,033 COP 3.3M

37.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 $2,418

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-40.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,262 $2,262

$1,940 COP 6.3M

16.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,788 $3,788

$646 COP 2.1M

486.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

10.94

-39.95%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: 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

Des Moines, IA

$918 40%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 27.4% $251

Groceries & Markets

Des Moines, IA

$421 18.3%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 26.9% $113

Eating Out

Des Moines, IA

$331 14.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 47.9% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Moines, IA

$321 14%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 30.8% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Des Moines, IA

$181 7.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 4.6% $8.4

Getting Around

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.2%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 28.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Des Moines, IA

$54 2.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 6.3% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,218 in Des Moines, IA and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Des Moines, IA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

1 h ahead of Des Moines, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,133

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Des Moines, IA Medellin 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Moines, 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

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

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Des Moines, 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 Des Moines, IA is about 5.9 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: $1,218 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $102 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,299 per month in Des Moines, IA versus $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Des Moines, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.