Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ames, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ames, IA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Ames, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,142 in Ames, IA.

Medellin $1,614
Ames, IA $2,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $3,242 in Ames, IA.

Medellin $2,402
Ames, IA $3,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $4,342 in Ames, IA.

Medellin $3,190
Ames, IA $4,342

Living in Medellin costs roughly 25% less than in Ames, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Ames, IA 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$18.13 $18.13

-56.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$52.0 $52.0

-11.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$12.18 $12.18

-22.00%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.87 $4.87

-36.14%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.60 $2.60

-29.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$2.25 $2.25

-38.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$4.05 $4.05

-24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$6.81 $6.81

-19.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.89 $0.89

62.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$3.55 $3.55

-33.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$3.26 $3.26

-48.47%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.34 $3.34

-14.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.08 $10.08

1.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$13.62 $13.62

-30.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$19.05 $19.05

-26.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$5.88 $5.88

-30.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.82 $1.82

-17.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$6.69 $6.69

-67.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$5.22 $5.22

-55.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$4.54 $4.54

-57.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$4.07 $4.07

-59.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.32 $2.32

-51.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$2.44 $2.44

-48.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$13.03 $13.03

-69.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$16.11 $16.11

-17.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.87 $2.87

-40.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$4.98 $4.98

-52.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.99 $0.99

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$35.57 $35.57

115.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$5.09 $5.09

-74.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.69 $1.69

26.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$24.13 $24.13

-64.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.96 $0.96

35.42%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$24.7K $24.7K

13.16%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$25.1K $25.1K

41.24%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$176 $176

-2.39%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$54.3 $54.3

-75.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$71.2 $71.2

-59.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$69.0 $69.0

-34.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$19.74 $19.74

-13.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$15.97 $15.97

-60.68%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$1,370 $1,370

-43.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$36.1K $36.1K

-75.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$58.4 $58.4

47.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$44.68 $44.68

27.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$90.1 $90.1

51.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$105 $105

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,005 $1,005

4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$822 $822

-25.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,860 $1,860

1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,505 $1,505

-32.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,432 $2,432

66.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,185 $2,185

-23.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$3,597 $3,597

-81.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.41

70.67%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ames, IA

$822 38.4% 33.5% $206

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ames, IA

$436 20.4% 48.1% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ames, IA

$302 14.1% 40.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ames, IA

$134 6.3% 21.2% $36

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ames, IA

$293 13.7% 74.2% $125

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ames, IA

$53 2.5% 43.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ames, IA

$101 4.7% 74.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $1,005 in Ames, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 451% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $52.0 in Ames, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $436 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

66,427

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ames, IA 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ames, IA

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

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

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 451% lower in Ames, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,005 in Ames, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 115% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $1,370 in Ames, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.