Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,801 in Dubuque, IA, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubuque, IA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
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Dubuque, IA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,801

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,801 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $1,801
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,569 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $2,569
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,337 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $3,337
Medellin $3,249

Dubuque, IA costs about 6% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dubuque, IA and Medellin sit above the global median – Dubuque, IA by 33%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.91 $13.91

$8.34 COP 27.0K

66.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.13 $49.13

$46.53 COP 150.9K

5.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 $12.11

$9.47 COP 30.7K

27.88%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$3.13 COP 10.2K

57.83%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$1.77 COP 5,728

10.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.42 COP 4,620

-29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-11.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-22.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.53 COP 4,971

-49.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.29 COP 7,431

17.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.94 COP 6,308

46.39%

Eggs

$2.73 $2.73

$3.07 COP 9,945

-11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$9.99 COP 32.4K

45.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-2.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-24.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-19.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.53 COP 4,957

-20.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.10 COP 6,825

54.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.29 COP 7,439

5.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$2.11 COP 6,841

-36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.71 COP 5,543

-1.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.17 COP 3,795

113.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.58 COP 5,125

8.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.59 $8.59

$3.91 COP 12.7K

119.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.28 $13.28

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.76 COP 5,714

1.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.71 COP 8,796

1.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.28 COP 4,136

-33.59%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-27.56%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-23.81%

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

$175 $175

$178 COP 576.4K

-1.55%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$13.89 COP 45.0K

265.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$30.74 COP 99.7K

64.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 $37.91

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-9.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 $7.96

$7.47 COP 24.2K

6.56%

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

$1,471 $1,471

$790 COP 2.6M

86.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-35.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.40 $34.40

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-41.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 $86.3

$138 COP 448.7K

-37.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 $89.5

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 $998

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-25.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 $800

$667 COP 2.2M

19.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 $1,472

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-25.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 $1,204

$1,033 COP 3.3M

16.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-58.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,768 $1,768

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-8.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,697 $3,697

$646 COP 2.1M

472.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

10.94

-52.01%

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

Last update for Dubuque, IA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubuque, IA

$800 44.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 16.6% $132

Groceries & Markets

Dubuque, IA

$310 17.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 0.9% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubuque, IA

$276 15.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 19.6% $54

Eating Out

Dubuque, IA

$242 13.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 28.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 43.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Dubuque, IA

$54 3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 5.7% $3

Getting Around

Dubuque, IA

- * 0%

Medellin

$93 5.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $998 in Dubuque, IA versus $1,341 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 Dubuque, IA are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Dubuque, IA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

23:57 11:57 PM

1 h ahead of Dubuque, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,667

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubuque, IA Medellin 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubuque, 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

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

Dubuque, IA costs about 6% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,702 per month in Dubuque, IA and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dubuque, IA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $998 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,801 in Dubuque, IA and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 6% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Dubuque, IA and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,801 in Dubuque, IA and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $1,801 in Dubuque, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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