Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Elgin, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,057 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,057 in Elgin, IL.

Medellin $1,639
Elgin, IL $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,633 in Elgin, IL.

Medellin $2,413
Elgin, IL $2,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,209 in Elgin, IL.

Medellin $3,186
Elgin, IL $4,209

Living in Medellin is roughly 55% more expensive than in Elgin, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Elgin, IL is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$20.39 $20.39

-60.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 149.0K

$59.1 $59.1

-20.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.94 $9.94

-4.43%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,550

$4.08 $4.08

-26.23%

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

$1.80 COP 5,699

$3.06 $3.06

-41.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$2.04 $2.04

-30.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.1K

$5.98 $5.98

-46.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.88 $4.88

17.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,783

$0.87 $0.87

73.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,532

$3.52 $3.52

-32.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,611

$4.15 $4.15

-57.35%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,155

$3.64 $3.64

-20.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$11.13 $11.13

-8.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$13.06 $13.06

-24.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$11.98 $11.98

16.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$4.47 $4.47

-11.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,916

$1.33 $1.33

16.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,914

$2.53 $2.53

-13.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,917

$4.04 $4.04

-46.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,217

$2.00 $2.00

-2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,034

$2.01 $2.01

-20.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,628

$1.78 $1.78

-35.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,938

$2.40 $2.40

-48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.6K

$10.58 $10.58

-62.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$15.75 $15.75

-13.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,257

$2.71 $2.71

-38.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,152

$3.54 $3.54

-36.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,699

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 245.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,017

$4.05 $4.05

-68.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,486

$2.04 $2.04

0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$27.57 $27.57

-68.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,266

$1.04 $1.04

29.81%

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

$34.1K COP 107.9M

$31.2K $31.2K

9.28%

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

$34.7K COP 109.8M

$25.8K $25.8K

34.44%

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

$170 COP 537.4K

$98.8 $98.8

71.73%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$53.3 $53.3

-74.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.9K

$49.92 $49.92

-43.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$15.10 $15.10

-54.24%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,656 $1,656

-51.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.9M

$23.4K $23.4K

-61.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.3K

$40.64 $40.64

108.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.6K

$50.3 $50.3

15.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.5K

$99.6 $99.6

35.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.0K

$120 $120

-18.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,162 $2,162

-6.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,820 $1,820

-44.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,201 $2,201

89.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.1M

$2,268 $2,268

-15.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,966 $3,966

-83.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.69

63.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Elgin, IL

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Elgin, IL

$368 34.9% 24.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Elgin, IL

$202 19.1% 4.4% $9.3

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Elgin, IL

$302 28.6% 78% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Elgin, IL

$140 13.2% 17.3% $29

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4% 84.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.9% 47.5% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays about 6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $59 in Elgin, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $368 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

112,603

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 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 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3,167 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,543 COP (10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Elgin, IL 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Elgin, 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 Elgin, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elgin, IL is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $1,656 in Elgin, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $59 in Elgin, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,057 in Elgin, IL versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL 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.