Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Des Moines, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,299 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,299 in Des Moines, IA.

Medellin $1,692
Des Moines, IA $2,299

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,459 in Des Moines, IA.

Medellin $2,471
Des Moines, IA $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,618 in Des Moines, IA.

Medellin $3,249
Des Moines, IA $4,618

Living in Medellin costs roughly 26% less than in Des Moines, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Des Moines, IA 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$19.89 $19.89

-58.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$102 $102

-54.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$11.80 $11.80

-19.75%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$6.54 $6.54

-52.14%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$2.97 $2.97

-40.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$2.47 $2.47

-42.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$5.05 $5.05

-37.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$5.65 $5.65

0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$0.86 $0.86

77.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$3.01 $3.01

-23.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$3.24 $3.24

-40.12%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$3.88 $3.88

-20.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$9.40 $9.40

6.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$17.22 $17.22

-39.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$18.91 $18.91

-26.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.25 $5.25

-22.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.52 $1.52

0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$4.92 $4.92

-57.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$3.71 $3.71

-38.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$4.31 $4.31

-51.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$2.24 $2.24

-23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$2.76 $2.76

-57.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$3.04 $3.04

-48.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$10.13 $10.13

-61.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$14.81 $14.81

-5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.68 $1.68

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.93 $2.93

-7.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$1.71 $1.71

-30.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$57.8 $57.8

31.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.99 $1.99

-9.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.25 $1.25

70.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$19.83 $19.83

-59.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.01 $1.01

26.73%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$26.9K $26.9K

28.11%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$25.6K $25.6K

33.58%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$191 $191

-7.00%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$52.9 $52.9

-73.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$77.2 $77.2

-60.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$33.80 $33.80

24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$20.24 $20.24

-17.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$9.86 $9.86

-24.24%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$1,313 $1,313

-39.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$14.6K $14.6K

-15.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$77.0 $77.0

12.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$56.1 $56.1

5.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$103 $103

34.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$166 $166

-40.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,218 $1,218

10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$918 $918

-27.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,058 $2,058

-4.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,422 $1,422

-27.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,418 $2,418

69.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,262 $2,262

-14.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,788 $3,788

-82.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.57

66.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Des Moines, IA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Des Moines, IA

$918 40% 37.7% $251

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Des Moines, IA

$421 18.3% 36.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Des Moines, IA

$321 14% 44.5% $99

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Des Moines, IA

$331 14.4% 92% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Des Moines, IA

$181 7.9% 4.9% $8.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.2% 22% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Des Moines, IA

$54 2.3% 5.9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,218 in Des Moines, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $102 in Des Moines, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $421 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

214,133

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Des Moines, IA 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Des Moines, 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 Des Moines, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Des Moines, 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 83% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,218 in Des Moines, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $102 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $2,299 in Des Moines, IA – Medellin is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Des Moines, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.