Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellensburg, WA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,404 in Ellensburg, WA, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ellensburg, WA
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Ellensburg, WA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ellensburg, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,404

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,404 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $2,404
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,555 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $3,555
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,705 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $4,705
Medellin $3,186

Ellensburg, WA costs about 47% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ellensburg, WA and Medellin sit above the global median – Ellensburg, WA by 77%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$8.09 COP 26.1K

88.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$47.05 COP 151.9K

59.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$9.50 COP 30.7K

27.68%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.01 COP 9,735

67.44%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$1.80 COP 5,809

-14.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.41 COP 4,561

-10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.18 COP 10.3K

53.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$5.75 COP 18.6K

5.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.51 COP 4,876

-35.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.38 COP 7,678

17.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.77 COP 5,720

166.10%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$2.89 COP 9,333

46.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 $15.48

$10.19 COP 32.9K

51.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-32.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.97 COP 12.8K

15.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.55 COP 5,012

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.18 COP 7,048

95.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.18 COP 7,051

81.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.96 COP 6,337

-22.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.59 COP 5,132

39.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.15 COP 3,699

70.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.24 COP 4,014

54.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$3.96 COP 12.8K

149.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 $13.99

$13.68 COP 44.2K

2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.66 COP 5,359

12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.26 COP 7,291

116.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.17 COP 3,771

75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 $57.6

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-25.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.27 COP 4,094

300.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.05 COP 6,612

-14.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.42 $39.42

$8.55 COP 27.6K

361.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 COP 4,349

-22.96%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-19.06%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-21.29%

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

$149 $149

$170 COP 547.8K

-12.07%

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

$39.60 $39.60

$13.55 COP 43.8K

192.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$28.07 COP 90.6K

154.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.90 $40.90

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-6.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 $15.93

$6.91 COP 22.3K

130.54%

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

$1,356 $1,356

$797 COP 2.6M

70.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

136.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.48 $34.48

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-59.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.61 $34.61

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-40.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$135 COP 435.8K

-19.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.10 $40.10

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-59.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 $1,614

$1,208 COP 3.9M

33.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$642 COP 2.1M

99.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 $2,509

$2,028 COP 6.5M

23.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,172 $2,172

$1,012 COP 3.3M

114.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,531 $4,531

$4,170 COP 13.5M

8.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 $4,418

$1,910 COP 6.2M

131.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,785 $1,785

$657 COP 2.1M

171.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

10.94

-40.59%

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

Last update for Ellensburg, WA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellensburg, WA

$1.3K 53.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 49.8% $636

Groceries & Markets

Ellensburg, WA

$349 14.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.9% $52

Eating Out

Ellensburg, WA

$267 11.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 36.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellensburg, WA

$260 10.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 18.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Ellensburg, WA

$98 4.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 71.9% $71

Getting Around

Ellensburg, WA

$80 3.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 17.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Ellensburg, WA

$73 3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 20.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Ellensburg, WA versus $1,208 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 Ellensburg, WA are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Ellensburg, WA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellensburg, WA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

3 h ahead of Ellensburg, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,666

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Ellensburg, WA Medellin 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Ellensburg, WA
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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

Ellensburg, WA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ellensburg, WA costs about 47% 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 $3,605 per month in Ellensburg, WA and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,614 in Ellensburg, WA.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Ellensburg, WA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,356 per month in Ellensburg, WA and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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