Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Champaign, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Champaign, IL

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 Champaign, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Champaign, IL $2,161

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,133 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Champaign, IL $3,133

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,106 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Champaign, IL $4,106

Medellin is about 25% cheaper than Champaign, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Champaign, IL sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Champaign, IL by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$15.25 $15.25

-48.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$60.8 $60.8

-24.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.11 $10.11

-6.03%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.83 $4.83

-35.61%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.15 $2.15

-14.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.73 $1.73

-20.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$5.57 $5.57

-45.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$5.35 $5.35

2.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.85 $0.85

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$3.14 $3.14

-24.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$3.13 $3.13

-46.33%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.88 $3.88

-26.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$12.19 $12.19

-16.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.96 $5.96

59.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$12.81 $12.81

9.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.45 $3.45

17.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.38 $1.38

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.10 $3.10

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.56 $4.56

-49.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.02 $2.02

-4.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.23 $2.23

-26.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.21 $2.21

-48.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.25 $1.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$10.25 $10.25

-61.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$14.71 $14.71

-9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.15 $2.15

-20.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$4.08 $4.08

-41.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.97 $0.97

24.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$20.38 $20.38

275.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.52 $2.52

-47.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.59 $1.59

34.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.16 $1.16

12.07%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$35.1K $35.1K

-20.31%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.3K $32.3K

9.80%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$240 $240

-28.27%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$45.66 $45.66

-70.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$67.6 $67.6

-57.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$25.34 $25.34

78.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$11.85 $11.85

43.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$11.09 $11.09

-43.37%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$993 $993

-22.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$19.9K $19.9K

-54.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$48.98 $48.98

76.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$116 $116

17.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$122 $122

-19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,453 $1,453

-27.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,016 $1,016

-39.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,941 $1,941

-2.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,691 $1,691

-39.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,688 $1,688

140.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,709 $1,709

-1.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$3,674 $3,674

-82.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.82

60.41%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Champaign, IL

$1K 47% 65% $400

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6% 7.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3% 64.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6% 24.1% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2% 57% $96

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6% 62.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2% 17.8% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,453 in Champaign, IL. 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 463% higher in Champaign, IL, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $61.0 in Champaign, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $316 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

88,302

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Champaign, IL 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Champaign, IL

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 Champaign, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $2,161 in Champaign, IL – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $3,241 in Champaign, IL. 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 7% more in Champaign, IL, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $61.0 in Champaign, IL. 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 Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL 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 $2,161 in Champaign, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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