Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dubuque, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,801 in Dubuque, IA, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubuque, IA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
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Dubuque, IA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,801

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,801 in Dubuque, IA, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Dubuque, IA $1,801

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,569 in Dubuque, IA, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Dubuque, IA $2,569

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,337 in Dubuque, IA, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Dubuque, IA $3,337

Medellin is about 6% cheaper than Dubuque, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Dubuque, IA sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Dubuque, IA by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$13.91 $13.91

-40.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$49.13 $49.13

-5.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$12.11 $12.11

-21.80%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$4.94 $4.94

-36.64%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.96 $1.96

-9.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.00 $1.00

42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.78 $2.78

13.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.43 $4.43

28.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$0.77 $0.77

98.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$2.68 $2.68

-14.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$2.84 $2.84

-31.69%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.73 $2.73

12.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$14.57 $14.57

-31.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$10.15 $10.15

2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$10.49 $10.49

33.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.25 $3.25

24.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.22 $1.22

25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$3.25 $3.25

-35.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$2.42 $2.42

-5.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.35 $1.35

56.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.69 $1.69

1.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$2.50 $2.50

-53.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$1.71 $1.71

-7.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$8.59 $8.59

-54.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$13.28 $13.28

5.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.78 $1.78

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.76 $2.76

-1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.85 $0.85

50.59%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$24.9K $24.9K

38.04%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$26.0K $26.0K

31.25%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$175 $175

1.57%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$50.8 $50.8

-72.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$50.7 $50.7

-39.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$37.91 $37.91

10.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.96 $7.96

-6.16%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$1,471 $1,471

-46.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$55.8 $55.8

54.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$34.40 $34.40

72.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$86.3 $86.3

60.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$89.5 $89.5

10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$998 $998

34.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$800 $800

-16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,472 $1,472

34.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,204 $1,204

-14.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,709 $1,709

139.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,768 $1,768

9.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,697 $3,697

-82.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.25

108.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dubuque, IA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Dubuque, IA

$800 44.4% 19.9% $132

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Dubuque, IA

$310 17.2% 0.9% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Dubuque, IA

$276 15.4% 24.3% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Dubuque, IA

$242 13.4% 39.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.6% 30.5% $53

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Dubuque, IA

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Dubuque, IA

$54 3% 5.4% $3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $998 in Dubuque, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dubuque, IA are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $49 in Dubuque, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $310 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

59,667

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Dubuque, IA 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Dubuque, 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 Dubuque, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubuque, IA costs about 6% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,702 in Dubuque, IA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dubuque, IA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $998 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,801 in Dubuque, IA. That makes Medellin about 6% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $49 in Dubuque, IA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,801 in Dubuque, IA, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $1,801 in Dubuque, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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