Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,522 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,522

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merrillville, IN and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Merrillville, IN and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,522 per month in Merrillville, IN vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Merrillville, IN $2,522
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,513 per month in Merrillville, IN vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Merrillville, IN $3,513
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,505 per month in Merrillville, IN vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Merrillville, IN $4,505
Medellin $3,186

Merrillville, IN costs about 54% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Merrillville, IN and Medellin sit above the global median – Merrillville, IN by 85%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$8.09 COP 25.4K

85.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 $55.8

$47.05 COP 148.0K

18.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$9.50 COP 29.9K

4.63%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$3.01 COP 9,485

48.84%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$1.80 COP 5,660

26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.41 COP 4,443

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.18 COP 9,990

38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$5.75 COP 18.1K

3.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.51 COP 4,751

-51.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.38 COP 7,480

34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.77 COP 5,573

166.67%

Eggs

$4.72 $4.72

$2.89 COP 9,093

63.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$10.19 COP 32.1K

8.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.23 $22.23

$13.99 COP 44.0K

58.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$3.97 COP 12.5K

45.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.55 COP 4,883

-27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.18 COP 6,867

101.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$2.18 COP 6,870

160.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.96 COP 6,174

82.14%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.59 COP 5,000

172.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.15 COP 3,604

112.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.24 COP 3,911

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.07 $11.07

$3.96 COP 12.5K

179.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.66 COP 5,221

19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.26 COP 7,103

53.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.17 COP 3,674

49.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 $67.2

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-13.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.27 COP 3,989

286.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.05 COP 6,442

-11.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.1 $50.1

$8.55 COP 26.9K

485.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.35 COP 4,237

-31.85%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-19.97%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-25.04%

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

$233 $233

$170 COP 533.7K

37.55%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$13.55 COP 42.6K

272.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$28.07 COP 88.3K

112.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.20 $37.20

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-14.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$6.91 COP 21.7K

114.91%

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

$1,353 $1,353

$797 COP 2.5M

69.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

161.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-37.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-30.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$135 COP 424.6K

-19.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 $95.5

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 $1,400

$1,208 COP 3.8M

15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$642 COP 2.0M

93.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,523 $2,523

$2,028 COP 6.4M

24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 $1,796

$1,012 COP 3.2M

77.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,837 $2,837

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-31.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 $2,031

$1,910 COP 6.0M

6.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

10.94

-40.31%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.2K 49.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 48.4% $603

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 23.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$344 13.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 38.5% $132

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$255 10.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 33.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$134 5.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 26.1% $35

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$88 3.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 6.1% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$67 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Merrillville, IN versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

Same time as Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merrillville, IN Medellin 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
Medellin

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

Merrillville, IN vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merrillville, IN is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,783 per month in Merrillville, IN and $2,459 in Medellin. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,400 in Merrillville, IN.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Merrillville, IN and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,522 in Merrillville, IN and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 54%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Merrillville, IN at $2,522. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merrillville, IN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.