Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Effingham, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,500 in Effingham, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Effingham, IL
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Effingham, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Effingham, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,500

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in Effingham, IL versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Effingham, IL $2,500
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,556 in Effingham, IL versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Effingham, IL $3,556
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,612 in Effingham, IL versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Effingham, IL $4,612
Medellin $3,199

Living in Effingham, IL is roughly 54% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Effingham, IL 84% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.06 $15.06

$8.30 COP 26.3K

81.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.89 $44.89

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-4.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$9.24 COP 29.3K

29.33%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.05 COP 9,676

81.31%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$1.80 COP 5,707

78.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.38 COP 4,382

92.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.24 COP 10.3K

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$5.56 COP 17.6K

26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.50 COP 4,760

-40.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.37 COP 7,508

43.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.70 COP 5,377

163.53%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$2.96 COP 9,379

23.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$10.22 COP 32.4K

22.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$9.74 COP 30.9K

10.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$13.90 COP 44.1K

20.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$4.13 COP 13.1K

38.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.53 COP 4,839

-5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.22 COP 7,052

112.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.27 COP 7,194

92.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.99 COP 6,311

12.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.67 COP 5,285

-35.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.18 COP 3,742

107.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.24 COP 3,919

95.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 $10.84

$3.87 COP 12.3K

180.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.66 COP 5,256

20.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.40 COP 7,615

51.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.24 COP 3,944

48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.28 COP 4,044

52.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.15 COP 6,803

-18.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 $33.78

$8.37 COP 26.5K

303.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.35 COP 4,288

-26.67%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-13.44%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-24.45%

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

$229 $229

$167 COP 528.4K

37.67%

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

$44.95 $44.95

$13.62 COP 43.2K

230.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 $65.4

$29.12 COP 92.3K

124.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 $41.33

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-8.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$6.97 COP 22.1K

114.92%

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

$1,729 $1,729

$790 COP 2.5M

118.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

166.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 $45.09

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-48.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.03 $35.03

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-39.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$139 COP 440.7K

-38.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.2 $65.2

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 $1,628

$1,028 COP 3.3M

58.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$620 COP 2.0M

109.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 $2,487

$1,881 COP 6.0M

32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 $2,146

$1,008 COP 3.2M

112.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,804 $2,804

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-29.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,326 $2,326

$1,702 COP 5.4M

36.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 Effingham, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Effingham, IL

$1.3K 51.9%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 52.2% $678

Groceries & Markets

Effingham, IL

$384 15.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 22.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Effingham, IL

$340 13.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 38.4% $130

Eating Out

Effingham, IL

$285 11.4%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 40.2% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Effingham, IL

$104 4.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 66.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Effingham, IL

$71 2.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 17.2% $12

Getting Around

Effingham, IL

$18 * 0.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 426% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Effingham, IL and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Effingham, IL vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $298, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Effingham, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

Same time as Effingham, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,447

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Effingham, IL Medellin 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Effingham, 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

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

Effingham, IL and Medellin differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,500 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,750 in Effingham, IL and $2,437 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,628 in Effingham, IL versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Effingham, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,500 per month in Effingham, IL versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,500 in Effingham, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Effingham, 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 54% less than in Effingham, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.