Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ithaca, NY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ithaca, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,893

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,893 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $2,893
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,843 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $3,843
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $4,792
Medellin $3,186

Ithaca, NY costs about 76% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ithaca, NY and Medellin sit above the global median – Ithaca, NY by 113%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$8.09 COP 25.4K

181.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$47.05 COP 148.0K

68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$9.50 COP 29.9K

14.00%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.01 COP 9,485

69.10%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.80 COP 5,660

46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.41 COP 4,443

44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.18 COP 9,990

59.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 $9.39

$5.75 COP 18.1K

63.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.51 COP 4,751

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.38 COP 7,480

34.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$1.77 COP 5,573

300.56%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.89 COP 9,093

37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$10.19 COP 32.1K

43.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-34.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 $15.45

$13.99 COP 44.0K

10.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.97 COP 12.5K

22.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.55 COP 4,883

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.18 COP 6,867

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.18 COP 6,870

121.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.96 COP 6,174

60.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.59 COP 5,000

133.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.15 COP 3,604

99.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.24 COP 3,911

66.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.69 $14.69

$3.96 COP 12.5K

270.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 $14.20

$13.68 COP 43.0K

3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.66 COP 5,221

11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.26 COP 7,103

76.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.17 COP 3,674

31.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.49 $45.49

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-41.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.27 COP 3,989

292.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.05 COP 6,442

-30.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$8.55 COP 26.9K

244.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.35 COP 4,237

-21.48%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-20.30%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.26%

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

$167 $167

$170 COP 533.7K

-1.50%

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

$46.41 $46.41

$13.55 COP 42.6K

242.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

79.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.65 $34.65

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-20.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 $10.82

$6.91 COP 21.7K

56.58%

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

$1,518 $1,518

$797 COP 2.5M

90.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

85.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.25 $47.25

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-44.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.06 $39.06

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-32.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$135 COP 424.6K

-39.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$97.9 COP 307.9K

9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$1,208 COP 3.8M

86.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 $1,661

$642 COP 2.0M

158.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 $3,044

$2,028 COP 6.4M

50.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,997 $1,997

$1,012 COP 3.2M

97.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-35.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,035 $2,035

$1,910 COP 6.0M

6.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$657 COP 2.1M

427.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

10.94

-40.95%

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

Last update for Ithaca, NY: 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

Ithaca, NY

$1.7K 57.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 61.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Ithaca, NY

$386 13.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 23% $89

Eating Out

Ithaca, NY

$339 11.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 49.9% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ithaca, NY

$264 9.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 20% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Ithaca, NY

$124 4.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 36.8% $45

Getting Around

Ithaca, NY

$64 2.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 46.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ithaca, NY

$56 2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.2% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,256 in Ithaca, NY 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 Ithaca, NY are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ithaca, NY

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

1 h behind Ithaca, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,283

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.85 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,511 COP (10,000 COP = 2.85 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Ithaca, NY Medellin 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ithaca, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,340 per month in Ithaca, NY 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 $2,256 in Ithaca, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,893 in Ithaca, NY and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 43% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Ithaca, NY at $2,893. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ithaca, NY 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, Ithaca, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.