Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,572 in Evanston, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

123

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,572 per month in Evanston, IL vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Evanston, IL $2,572
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,469 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Evanston, IL $4,469
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,366 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Evanston, IL $6,366
Medellin $3,186

Evanston, IL costs about 57% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Evanston, IL and Medellin sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 89%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$8.09 COP 26.1K

150.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$47.05 COP 151.7K

81.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.82 $12.82

$9.50 COP 30.6K

34.95%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$3.01 COP 9,722

93.69%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.80 COP 5,801

50.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.41 COP 4,554

58.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.18 COP 10.2K

119.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$5.75 COP 18.5K

37.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.51 COP 4,869

-31.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.38 COP 7,667

56.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.77 COP 5,712

141.24%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$2.89 COP 9,320

58.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$10.19 COP 32.9K

34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$9.87 COP 31.8K

45.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$13.99 COP 45.1K

42.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$3.97 COP 12.8K

31.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.55 COP 5,005

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.18 COP 7,039

77.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.18 COP 7,041

129.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.96 COP 6,328

41.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.59 COP 5,125

84.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.15 COP 3,694

80.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.24 COP 4,009

91.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 $10.83

$3.96 COP 12.8K

173.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$13.68 COP 44.1K

11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.66 COP 5,352

60.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.26 COP 7,281

47.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.17 COP 3,766

110.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-2.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.27 COP 4,089

216.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.05 COP 6,603

-30.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.50 $44.50

$8.55 COP 27.6K

420.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 COP 4,343

-22.96%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-11.91%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-26.92%

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

$194 $194

$170 COP 547.0K

14.57%

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

$60.4 $60.4

$13.55 COP 43.7K

345.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.0 $74.0

$28.07 COP 90.5K

163.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.0 $75.0

$43.70 COP 140.9K

71.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$59.6 $59.6

$17.19 COP 55.4K

246.66%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$6.91 COP 22.3K

113.31%

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

$1,646 $1,646

$797 COP 2.6M

106.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

246.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 $63.6

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-24.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-13.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$135 COP 435.2K

-19.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$97.9 COP 315.6K

29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$1,208 COP 3.9M

39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 $1,111

$642 COP 2.1M

73.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$2,028 COP 6.5M

97.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,055 $3,055

$1,012 COP 3.3M

201.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K $14.4K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

244.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.7K $12.7K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

564.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,558 $5,558

$657 COP 2.1M

745.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

10.94

-37.75%

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

Last update for Evanston, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 42.3% $470

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$433 16.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 31.5% $136

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$341 13.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 50.3% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$329 12.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 35.7% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 7.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$105 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 45% $47

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 2.7% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,688 in Evanston, IL 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 Evanston, IL are about 8.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Evanston, IL versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

23:08 11:08 PM

1 h ahead of Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

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 = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Evanston, IL Medellin 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Evanston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,572 in Evanston, IL, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,858 per month in Evanston, IL 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 $1,688 in Evanston, IL.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Evanston, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Evanston, IL and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Evanston, IL at $2,572. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Evanston, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Evanston, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.