Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Crosse, WI and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,198 in La Crosse, WI, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in La Crosse, WI
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La Crosse, WI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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La Crosse, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,198

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,198 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $2,198
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,399 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $3,399
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,601 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $4,601
Medellin $3,190

La Crosse, WI costs about 36% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both La Crosse, WI and Medellin sit above the global median – La Crosse, WI by 63%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$7.93 COP 25.2K

88.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 $71.2

$46.13 COP 146.3K

54.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$9.50 COP 30.1K

17.58%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.11 COP 9,866

81.67%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$1.83 COP 5,800

20.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.38 COP 4,360

-14.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.05 COP 9,672

45.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$5.50 COP 17.4K

8.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.45 COP 4,600

-50.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.36 COP 7,496

8.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.68 COP 5,328

183.93%

Eggs

$2.40 $2.40

$2.86 COP 9,077

-16.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 $9.96

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 $10.69

$9.53 COP 30.2K

12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$14.04 COP 44.5K

17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.07 COP 12.9K

20.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.50 COP 4,742

-26.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.17 COP 6,891

43.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.31 COP 7,310

125.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.93 COP 6,113

3.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.64 COP 5,196

40.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.13 COP 3,571

82.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.25 COP 3,954

36.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 $9.74

$3.99 COP 12.6K

144.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 $11.04

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.70 COP 5,384

7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.37 COP 7,525

-18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.21 COP 3,827

-19.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.58 $35.58

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-53.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.32 COP 4,179

160.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.14 COP 6,774

-10.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.67 $44.67

$8.47 COP 26.8K

427.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.30 COP 4,114

-31.54%

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

$38.8K $38.8K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

38.70%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-31.42%

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

$206 $206

$172 COP 545.6K

19.87%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$13.37 COP 42.4K

307.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$28.73 COP 91.1K

132.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 $39.44

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-12.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.95 $3.95

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-76.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$6.28 COP 19.9K

89.81%

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

$890 $890

$770 COP 2.4M

15.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 $63.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-26.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.3 $63.3

$57.1 COP 181.1K

10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 $79.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-41.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$97.9 COP 310.4K

23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 $1,000

$616 COP 2.0M

62.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 $2,227

$1,892 COP 6.0M

17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 $1,983

$1,023 COP 3.2M

93.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,907 $1,907

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-53.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 $1,920

$1,678 COP 5.3M

14.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,088 $4,088

$652 COP 2.1M

526.68%

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 La Crosse, WI: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Crosse, WI

$1K 45.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 38.4% $385

Groceries & Markets

La Crosse, WI

$338 15.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 12.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Crosse, WI

$328 14.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 34.6% $113

Eating Out

La Crosse, WI

$269 12.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 37.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

La Crosse, WI

$147 6.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 15.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

La Crosse, WI

$63 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 8.6% $5.5

Getting Around

La Crosse, WI

$52 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 77.9% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in La Crosse, WI versus $1,055 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 run about 527% higher in La Crosse, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in La Crosse, WI versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 La Crosse, WI

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

Same time as La Crosse, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,680

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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La Crosse, WI Medellin 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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La Crosse, WI
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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

La Crosse, WI vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,198 in La Crosse, WI, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,297 per month in La Crosse, WI and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in La Crosse, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in La Crosse, WI and $46.00 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 $1,614, than in La Crosse, WI at $2,198. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Crosse, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $2,198 in La Crosse, WI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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