Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,057 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,057

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,057 in Elgin, IL versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Elgin, IL $1,057
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,633 in Elgin, IL versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Elgin, IL $2,633
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,209 in Elgin, IL versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Elgin, IL $4,209
Medellin $3,186

Living in Elgin, IL costs roughly 36% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elgin, IL is 22% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$8.09 COP 25.6K

152.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$47.05 COP 149.0K

25.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$9.50 COP 30.1K

4.63%

Cappuccino

$4.08 $4.08

$3.01 COP 9,550

35.55%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.80 COP 5,699

70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.41 COP 4,474

44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.18 COP 10.1K

88.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 $4.88

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-15.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.51 COP 4,783

-42.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.38 COP 7,532

47.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.77 COP 5,611

134.46%

Eggs

$3.64 $3.64

$2.89 COP 9,155

25.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$10.19 COP 32.3K

9.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.06 $13.06

$9.87 COP 31.3K

32.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.98 $11.98

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.97 COP 12.6K

12.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.55 COP 4,916

-14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.18 COP 6,914

16.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.18 COP 6,917

85.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.96 COP 6,217

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.59 COP 5,034

26.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.15 COP 3,628

54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.24 COP 3,938

93.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.58 $10.58

$3.96 COP 12.6K

167.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$13.68 COP 43.3K

15.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.66 COP 5,257

63.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.26 COP 7,152

56.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,699

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 245.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.27 COP 4,017

218.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.05 COP 6,486

-0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.57 $27.57

$8.55 COP 27.1K

222.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 COP 4,266

-22.96%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$34.1K COP 107.9M

-8.49%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.7K COP 109.8M

-25.62%

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

$98.8 $98.8

$170 COP 537.4K

-41.77%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$13.55 COP 42.9K

292.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.92 $49.92

$28.07 COP 88.9K

77.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$6.91 COP 21.9K

118.52%

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

$1,656 $1,656

$797 COP 2.5M

107.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$9,112 COP 28.9M

157.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.64 $40.64

$84.7 COP 268.3K

-52.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$58.0 COP 183.6K

-13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$135 COP 427.5K

-26.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$97.9 COP 310.0K

22.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$2,028 COP 6.4M

6.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$1,012 COP 3.2M

79.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,201 $2,201

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-47.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,268 $2,268

$1,910 COP 6.1M

18.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,966 $3,966

$657 COP 2.1M

503.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

10.94

-38.85%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elgin, IL

$368 34.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 19.4% $71

Eating Out

Elgin, IL

$302 28.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 43.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin, IL

$202 19.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 4.6% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin, IL

$140 13.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 20.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 90.6% $27

Getting Around

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 556% $79

Accommodation & Living

Elgin, IL

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays about 6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59 in Elgin, IL vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

Same time as Elgin, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,603

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3,167 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,530 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elgin, IL Medellin 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin, 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

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

Elgin, IL is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Elgin, IL is about 6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,656 in Elgin, IL versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $59 in Elgin, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,057 in Elgin, IL versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL 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.