Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oak Park, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,585 in Oak Park, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Oak Park, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,585
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,585 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Oak Park, IL $2,585
  • Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Oak Park, IL $3,781
  • Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,977 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Oak Park, IL $4,977
  • Medellin $3,199

Oak Park, IL costs about 59% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oak Park, IL and Medellin sit above the global median – Oak Park, IL by 91%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.82 $19.82
$8.30 COP 26.3K
138.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.3 $75.3
$46.91 COP 148.7K
60.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.41 $11.41
$9.24 COP 29.3K
23.48%
Cappuccino
$5.47 $5.47
$3.05 COP 9,676
79.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 $2.72
$1.80 COP 5,707
51.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.38 COP 4,382
42.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.04 $6.04
$3.24 COP 10.3K
86.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.18 $7.18
$5.56 COP 17.6K
29.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.50 COP 4,760
-32.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.54 $3.54
$2.37 COP 7,508
49.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.22 $4.22
$1.70 COP 5,377
148.24%
Eggs
$4.12 $4.12
$2.96 COP 9,379
39.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.11 $14.11
$10.22 COP 32.4K
38.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.34 $11.34
$9.74 COP 30.9K
16.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.89 $16.89
$13.90 COP 44.1K
21.51%
Apples (1kg)
$4.97 $4.97
$4.13 COP 13.1K
20.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 $1.57
$1.53 COP 4,839
2.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.41 $4.41
$2.22 COP 7,052
98.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 $4.47
$2.27 COP 7,194
96.92%
Potato (1kg)
$2.72 $2.72
$1.99 COP 6,311
36.68%
Onion (1kg)
$2.75 $2.75
$1.67 COP 5,285
64.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.18 COP 3,742
62.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 $2.54
$1.24 COP 3,919
104.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.26 $9.26
$3.87 COP 12.3K
139.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.83 $14.83
$13.78 COP 43.7K
7.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 $2.23
$1.66 COP 5,256
34.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$2.40 COP 7,615
44.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.24 COP 3,944
37.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$78.2 COP 248.0K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.68 $2.68
$1.28 COP 4,044
109.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.98 $1.98
$2.15 COP 6,803
-7.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.26 $33.26
$8.37 COP 26.5K
297.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.35 COP 4,288
-22.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.9K $25.9K
$34.8K COP 110.2M
-25.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K $24.1K
$34.7K COP 110.0M
-30.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$198 $198
$167 COP 528.4K
18.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.2 $59.2
$13.62 COP 43.2K
334.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.7 $70.7
$29.12 COP 92.3K
142.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.92 $37.92
$45.09 COP 143.0K
-15.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.18 COP 54.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.41 $12.41
$6.97 COP 22.1K
78.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,458 $1,458
$790 COP 2.5M
84.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.2K $23.2K
$9,041 COP 28.7M
156.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.1 $53.1
$87.8 COP 278.4K
-39.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.71 $43.71
$58.2 COP 184.4K
-24.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.5 $87.5
$139 COP 440.7K
-37.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 $124
$98.9 COP 313.5K
25.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,575 $1,575
$1,028 COP 3.3M
53.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,312 $1,312
$620 COP 2.0M
111.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,550 $2,550
$1,881 COP 6.0M
35.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,168 $2,168
$1,008 COP 3.2M
115.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,118 $3,118
$3,988 COP 12.6M
-21.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,251 $2,251
$1,702 COP 5.4M
32.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oak Park, IL
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,703 $5,703
$663 COP 2.1M
759.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
10.94
-39.95%

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

Last update for Oak Park, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Oak Park, IL
$1.3K
Medellin
$619 52.8% $692
Groceries & Markets
Oak Park, IL
$403
Medellin
$298 26% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oak Park, IL
$328
Medellin
$209 36.1% $118
Eating Out
Oak Park, IL
$322
Medellin
$171 46.9% $151
Clothing & Footwear
Oak Park, IL
$139
Medellin
$173 24.6% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Oak Park, IL
$63
Medellin
$59 5.9% $3.7
Getting Around
Oak Park, IL
$19 *
Medellin
$95 390% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,575 in Oak Park, IL versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 760% higher in Oak Park, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Oak Park, IL versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Oak Park, IL
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
23:48 11:48 PM
23:48 11:48 PM
Same time as Oak Park, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
54,583
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oak Park, IL Medellin 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Oak Park, IL
  • 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
Oak Park, IL vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Oak Park, IL?
Yes – Oak Park, IL is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,877 per month in Oak Park, IL and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Oak Park, IL or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Oak Park, IL and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Oak Park, IL and in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 35% more in Oak Park, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Oak Park, IL or in Medellin?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Oak Park, IL at $2,585. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oak Park, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Oak Park, IL or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Oak Park, IL or Medellin?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oak Park, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Oak Park, IL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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