Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islip, NY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Islip, NY: $1,259 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Islip, NY $1,259
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,207 in Islip, NY versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Islip, NY $2,207
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Islip, NY versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Islip, NY $3,154
Medellin $3,186

Living in Islip, NY costs roughly 23% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Islip, NY is 7% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$8.09 COP 25.4K

222.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$47.05 COP 148.0K

159.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.05 $14.05

$9.50 COP 29.9K

47.89%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.01 COP 9,485

70.76%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.80 COP 5,660

58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.41 COP 4,443

61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.18 COP 9,990

144.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 $10.17

$5.75 COP 18.1K

76.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.51 COP 4,751

-7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.38 COP 7,480

90.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.77 COP 5,573

128.81%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$2.89 COP 9,093

73.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$10.19 COP 32.1K

83.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.41 $17.41

$9.87 COP 31.1K

76.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$13.99 COP 44.0K

17.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.97 COP 12.5K

12.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.55 COP 4,883

-16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.18 COP 6,867

-0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.18 COP 6,870

33.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.96 COP 6,174

-9.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.59 COP 5,000

36.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.15 COP 3,604

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.24 COP 3,911

-11.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.94 $14.94

$3.96 COP 12.5K

277.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.96 $12.96

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.66 COP 5,221

41.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.26 COP 7,103

66.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.17 COP 3,674

273.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.27 COP 3,989

134.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.05 COP 6,442

7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.26 $41.26

$8.55 COP 26.9K

382.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.35 COP 4,237

-13.33%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-17.97%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.09%

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

$80.2 $80.2

$170 COP 533.7K

-52.75%

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

$71.2 $71.2

$13.55 COP 42.6K

425.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$28.07 COP 88.3K

148.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$43.70 COP 137.5K

36.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.83 $15.83

$6.91 COP 21.7K

129.09%

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

$3,537 $3,537

$797 COP 2.5M

344.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.6K $61.6K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

575.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 $44.55

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-47.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.92 $27.92

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-51.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 $75.0

$135 COP 424.6K

-44.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 $91.4

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-6.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$1,208 COP 3.8M

64.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,382 $3,382

$2,028 COP 6.4M

66.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,975 $3,975

$657 COP 2.1M

504.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

10.94

-39.40%

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

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Islip, NY

$416 33%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 28.5% $119

Eating Out

Islip, NY

$392 31.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 56.8% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islip, NY

$221 17.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 4.5% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Islip, NY

$107 8.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 57.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Islip, NY

$91 7.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 37% $34

Getting Around

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 197% $62

Accommodation & Living

Islip, NY

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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 $1,989 in Islip, NY and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY 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: $122 in Islip, NY vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

08:19 8:19 AM

1 h behind Islip, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,938

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Islip, NY Medellin 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Islip, NY
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

Islip, NY vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY is cheaper overall, especially in transport and clothing. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Islip, NY 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,989 in Islip, NY versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,537 in Islip, NY 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 $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islip, NY but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Islip, NY 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.