Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Effingham, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,532 in Effingham, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Effingham, IL
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Effingham, IL Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Effingham, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,532 in Effingham, IL.

Medellin $1,692
Effingham, IL $2,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,610 in Effingham, IL.

Medellin $2,471
Effingham, IL $3,610

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,687 in Effingham, IL.

Medellin $3,249
Effingham, IL $4,687

Living in Medellin costs roughly 33% less than in Effingham, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Effingham, IL 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$14.76 $14.76

-43.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$44.61 $44.61

4.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$11.92 $11.92

-20.55%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$5.84 $5.84

-46.40%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$3.20 $3.20

-44.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$2.67 $2.67

-46.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$4.99 $4.99

-36.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$7.18 $7.18

-20.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$0.84 $0.84

82.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$3.23 $3.23

-29.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$4.28 $4.28

-54.67%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$3.75 $3.75

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$12.50 $12.50

-20.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$11.21 $11.21

-6.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$16.70 $16.70

-16.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.52 $5.52

-26.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.52 $1.52

0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$4.93 $4.93

-57.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$4.31 $4.31

-46.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$2.22 $2.22

-4.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.12 $1.12

52.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$2.41 $2.41

-51.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$2.41 $2.41

-34.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$11.14 $11.14

-64.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$11.86 $11.86

18.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.97 $1.97

-10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$3.60 $3.60

-24.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$2.11 $2.11

-44.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$67.7 $67.7

12.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.95 $1.95

-7.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.75 $1.75

21.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$34.19 $34.19

-76.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.02 $1.02

25.49%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$30.3K $30.3K

13.83%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$26.5K $26.5K

28.68%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$228 $228

-22.13%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$45.32 $45.32

-69.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$63.4 $63.4

-51.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$40.06 $40.06

4.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$15.02 $15.02

-50.27%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$1,757 $1,757

-55.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$25.4K $25.4K

-51.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$44.28 $44.28

94.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$34.47 $34.47

71.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$83.4 $83.4

65.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$66.1 $66.1

49.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,590 $1,590

-15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,267 $1,267

-47.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,520 $2,520

-21.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,091 $2,091

-50.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$3,021 $3,021

35.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,004 $2,004

-3.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.7

63.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Effingham, IL: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Effingham, IL

$1.3K 50% 89.8% $599

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Effingham, IL

$383 15.1% 24.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Effingham, IL

$337 13.3% 51.5% $115

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Effingham, IL

$287 11.3% 66.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Effingham, IL

$103 4.1% 40.4% $70

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Effingham, IL

$87 3.4% 7.1% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Effingham, IL

$70 2.8% 23.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,590 in Effingham, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $45 in Effingham, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $383, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Effingham, IL

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,447

💱 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 →

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Medellin Effingham, IL 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Effingham, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,532 in Effingham, IL, so Medellin is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $3,799 in Effingham, IL to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,590 in Effingham, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $1,757 in Effingham, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Effingham, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,532 in Effingham, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Effingham, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.