Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Iowa City, IA $2,251
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,264 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Iowa City, IA $3,264
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Iowa City, IA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Iowa City, IA $4,276
Medellin $3,186

Living in Iowa City, IA is roughly 37% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iowa City, IA 65% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$8.09 COP 26.1K

86.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$47.05 COP 151.9K

43.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-4.95%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$3.01 COP 9,734

84.05%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$1.80 COP 5,809

53.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.41 COP 4,560

58.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.18 COP 10.3K

52.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$5.75 COP 18.6K

24.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.51 COP 4,875

-39.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.38 COP 7,677

17.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.77 COP 5,719

14.12%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.89 COP 9,332

28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 $9.43

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-7.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 $10.64

$9.87 COP 31.9K

7.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.95 $19.95

$13.99 COP 45.2K

42.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.55 COP 5,011

-21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.18 COP 7,047

21.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.18 COP 7,050

123.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.96 COP 6,336

1.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.59 COP 5,131

48.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.15 COP 3,698

48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.24 COP 4,014

91.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$3.96 COP 12.8K

155.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$13.68 COP 44.2K

0.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.66 COP 5,359

3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.26 COP 7,290

100.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.27 COP 4,094

207.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.05 COP 6,611

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.67 $43.67

$8.55 COP 27.6K

410.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.35 COP 4,348

-26.67%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-20.22%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-25.65%

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

$271 $271

$170 COP 547.7K

60.01%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$13.55 COP 43.7K

279.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 $81.6

$28.07 COP 90.6K

190.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.80 $29.80

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-31.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 $19.65

$17.19 COP 55.5K

14.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 $13.86

$6.91 COP 22.3K

100.58%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$797 COP 2.6M

62.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

160.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-24.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 $49.68

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-14.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$135 COP 435.7K

-26.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$97.9 COP 316.0K

17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$1,208 COP 3.9M

2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$642 COP 2.1M

56.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-4.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$1,012 COP 3.3M

61.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,514 $3,514

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-15.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-5.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 $3,822

$657 COP 2.1M

481.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.94

-41.04%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 36% $361

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$404 18%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 47.8% $193

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 15.5% $55

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 37.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 14.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 0% $0

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 580% $80

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 $1,242 in Iowa City, IA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Iowa City, IA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

1 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Iowa City, IA Medellin 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, 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

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

Medellin is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Iowa City, IA is about 5.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,242 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,292 in Iowa City, IA 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 $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Iowa City, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.