Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockford, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,176 in Rockford, IL, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Rockford, IL
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Rockford, IL Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Rockford, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,176

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,176 per month in Rockford, IL vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Rockford, IL $2,176
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,485 per month in Rockford, IL vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Rockford, IL $3,485
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,795 per month in Rockford, IL vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Rockford, IL $4,795
Medellin $3,249

Rockford, IL costs about 29% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rockford, IL and Medellin sit above the global median – Rockford, IL by 61%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.58 $15.58

$8.34 COP 26.9K

86.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$46.53 COP 150.1K

63.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 $9.65

$9.47 COP 30.5K

1.90%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$3.13 COP 10.1K

62.30%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$1.77 COP 5,696

55.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.42 COP 4,594

42.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.15 COP 10.2K

42.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 $7.10

$5.70 COP 18.4K

24.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.53 COP 4,943

-46.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.29 COP 7,389

56.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$1.94 COP 6,273

163.40%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$3.07 COP 9,889

-4.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$9.99 COP 32.2K

2.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 $13.69

$10.45 COP 33.7K

31.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 $17.03

$13.96 COP 45.0K

21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$4.05 COP 13.1K

24.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.53 COP 4,929

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.10 COP 6,786

78.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.29 COP 7,397

129.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.11 COP 6,803

17.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.71 COP 5,512

52.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.17 COP 3,774

89.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.58 COP 5,096

22.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 $10.57

$3.91 COP 12.6K

170.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.73 $15.73

$14.04 COP 45.3K

12.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.76 COP 5,682

15.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.71 COP 8,746

-30.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 $55.7

$76.3 COP 246.0K

-27.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.81 COP 5,827

52.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.13 COP 6,867

-25.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.16 $21.16

$8.13 COP 26.2K

160.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.28 COP 4,113

-22.66%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-1.28%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-23.52%

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

$188 $188

$178 COP 573.2K

5.56%

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

$45.31 $45.31

$13.89 COP 44.8K

226.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.7 $71.7

$30.74 COP 99.1K

133.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$41.94 COP 135.3K

-0.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.37 $25.37

$16.80 COP 54.2K

51.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 $14.00

$7.47 COP 24.1K

87.42%

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

$516 $516

$790 COP 2.5M

-34.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,061 $4,061

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-66.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.05 $46.05

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-46.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.68 $34.68

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-41.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 $95.0

$138 COP 446.2K

-31.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$98.8 COP 318.7K

14.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 $943

$667 COP 2.2M

41.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,355 $2,355

$1,976 COP 6.4M

19.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 $2,040

$1,033 COP 3.3M

97.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,452 $1,452

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-64.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,439 $1,439

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-25.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,408 $3,408

$646 COP 2.1M

427.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

10.94

-40.68%

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

Last update for Rockford, IL: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockford, IL

$943 43.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 29.2% $276

Groceries & Markets

Rockford, IL

$392 18%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 21.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockford, IL

$305 14%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 27% $82

Eating Out

Rockford, IL

$270 12.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 36.1% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Rockford, IL

$130 6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 32.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Rockford, IL

$70 3.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 18.6% $13

Getting Around

Rockford, IL

$66 * 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 40.9% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,292 in Rockford, IL versus $1,341 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 in Rockford, IL are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Rockford, IL versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockford, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

1 h ahead of Rockford, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,655

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Rockford, IL Medellin 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockford, 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

Rockford, IL vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rockford, IL is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,264 per month in Rockford, IL and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,292 in Rockford, IL and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Rockford, IL 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 $2,176 in Rockford, IL and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,176 in Rockford, IL and $1,692 in Medellin, 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 $2,176 in Rockford, IL. 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, Rockford, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.