Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,023

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Des Plaines, IL $3,023
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,419 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Des Plaines, IL $4,419
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,815 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Des Plaines, IL $5,815
Medellin $3,190

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 87% 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 Plaines, IL 124% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.29 $21.29

$7.93 COP 25.2K

168.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 $89.1

$46.13 COP 146.3K

93.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 $13.10

$9.50 COP 30.1K

37.89%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.11 COP 9,866

82.64%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.83 COP 5,800

42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.38 COP 4,360

62.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.05 COP 9,672

131.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$5.50 COP 17.4K

49.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.45 COP 4,600

-36.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.36 COP 7,496

44.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.68 COP 5,328

150.00%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$2.86 COP 9,077

47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.74 $14.74

$10.19 COP 32.3K

44.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 $13.04

$9.53 COP 30.2K

36.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 $18.82

$14.04 COP 44.5K

34.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$4.07 COP 12.9K

13.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.50 COP 4,742

10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.17 COP 6,891

91.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.31 COP 7,310

112.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.93 COP 6,113

40.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.64 COP 5,196

65.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.13 COP 3,571

84.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.25 COP 3,954

96.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$3.99 COP 12.6K

173.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$13.35 COP 42.3K

12.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.70 COP 5,384

51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.37 COP 7,525

41.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.21 COP 3,827

61.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-21.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.32 COP 4,179

149.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.14 COP 6,774

-36.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.88 $24.88

$8.47 COP 26.8K

193.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.30 COP 4,114

-23.85%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

29.13%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.31%

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

$192 $192

$172 COP 545.6K

11.56%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$13.37 COP 42.4K

342.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.0 $76.0

$28.73 COP 91.1K

164.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$45.24 COP 143.5K

171.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.32 $39.32

$17.04 COP 54.0K

130.75%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$6.28 COP 19.9K

134.39%

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

$1,563 $1,563

$770 COP 2.4M

103.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

162.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-24.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-11.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$137 COP 432.9K

-26.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$97.9 COP 310.4K

22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,084 $2,084

$1,055 COP 3.3M

97.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$616 COP 2.0M

151.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,937 $3,937

$1,892 COP 6.0M

108.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 $2,485

$1,023 COP 3.2M

142.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 $3,279

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-19.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,480 $2,480

$1,678 COP 5.3M

47.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,121 $6,121

$652 COP 2.1M

838.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

10.94

-38.12%

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

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 51.2%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 60.2% $932

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$418 13.8%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 29.5% $123

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$349 11.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 51.7% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$327 10.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 34.5% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$152 5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 62% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$151 5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 12.4% $19

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$78 2.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 19.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 838% 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: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $418 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

Same time as Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

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 →

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Between locations

Des Plaines, IL Medellin 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, 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

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

Des Plaines, IL and Medellin differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($3,023 vs $1,614 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 838% higher in Des Plaines, 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: $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.