Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bloomington, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,206 in Bloomington, IN, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Bloomington, IN, United States
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Bloomington, IN
🇺🇸 United States
$2,206
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bloomington, IN

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 Bloomington, IN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,206 in Bloomington, IN, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Bloomington, IN $2,206

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,050 in Bloomington, IN, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Bloomington, IN $3,050

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,894 in Bloomington, IN, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Bloomington, IN $3,894

Medellin is about 26% cheaper than Bloomington, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Medellin and Bloomington, IN sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Bloomington, IN by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$15.19 $15.19
-46.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$49.60 $49.60
-5.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$10.05 $10.05
-5.47%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,735
$4.91 $4.91
-38.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$2.13 $2.13
-15.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,561
$1.50 $1.50
-6.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$5.11 $5.11
-37.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$6.03 $6.03
-4.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,876
$0.75 $0.75
101.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,678
$3.32 $3.32
-28.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,720
$4.04 $4.04
-56.19%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,333
$3.64 $3.64
-20.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$13.04 $13.04
-21.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$6.04 $6.04
63.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$16.09 $16.09
-13.05%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$4.35 $4.35
-8.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,012
$1.29 $1.29
20.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,048
$3.22 $3.22
-32.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,051
$4.60 $4.60
-52.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,337
$2.56 $2.56
-23.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,132
$3.30 $3.30
-51.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,699
$2.01 $2.01
-42.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$1.84 $1.84
-32.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$9.78 $9.78
-59.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$11.07 $11.07
23.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.83 $1.83
-9.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,291
$2.92 $2.92
-22.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,771
$0.97 $0.97
20.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$29.41 $29.41
163.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$3.67 $3.67
-65.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,612
$1.05 $1.05
95.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$18.31 $18.31
-53.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,349
$0.89 $0.89
51.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$27.6K $27.6K
23.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$25.9K $25.9K
33.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.8K
$148 $148
14.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.8K
$78.0 $78.0
-82.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$64.6 $64.6
-56.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$31.26 $31.26
39.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$20.80 $20.80
-17.36%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$11.75 $11.75
-41.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$1,300 $1,300
-38.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$19.7K $19.7K
-53.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$46.11 $46.11
83.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.2K
$42.71 $42.71
35.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.8K
$66.8 $66.8
102.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$88.9 $88.9
10.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$1,231 $1,231
-1.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$1,110 $1,110
-42.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,987 $1,987
2.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,515 $1,515
-33.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$2,370 $2,370
75.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$1,932 $1,932
-1.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Bloomington, IN
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$3,682 $3,682
-82.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.55
67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bloomington, IN: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Bloomington, IN
$1.1K 73% $468
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Bloomington, IN
$336 13.1% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Bloomington, IN
$290 37.4% $79
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Bloomington, IN
$263 54.9% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Bloomington, IN
$110 34.9% $59
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Bloomington, IN
$42 54.9% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Bloomington, IN
$55 4.8% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,231 in Bloomington, IN. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bloomington, IN are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $50 in Bloomington, IN. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $336 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇺🇸 Bloomington, IN
🕒 Local time
02:05 2:05 AM
02:05 2:05 AM
Same time as Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
69,247
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Bloomington, IN 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Bloomington, IN

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 Bloomington, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Bloomington, IN?
Yes – Bloomington, IN is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,309 in Bloomington, IN. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Bloomington, IN?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,231 in Bloomington, IN. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 62% less in Bloomington, IN. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $1,300 in Bloomington, IN. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 enough for either Medellin or Bloomington, IN?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,206 in Bloomington, IN, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,206 in Bloomington, IN. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bloomington, IN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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