Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urbana, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,886 in Urbana, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Urbana, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,886

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,886 per month in Urbana, IL vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Urbana, IL $1,886
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,137 per month in Urbana, IL vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Urbana, IL $2,137
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,388 per month in Urbana, IL vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Urbana, IL $2,388
Medellin $3,249

Urbana, IL costs about 11% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Urbana, IL and Medellin sit above the global median – Urbana, IL by 40%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.91 $14.91

$8.34 COP 26.9K

78.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$46.53 COP 150.3K

28.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$9.47 COP 30.6K

7.07%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$3.13 COP 10.1K

53.35%

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

$2.26 $2.26

$1.77 COP 5,704

27.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.42 COP 4,600

21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.15 COP 10.2K

77.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 $5.37

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-5.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.53 COP 4,949

-44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.29 COP 7,399

34.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.94 COP 6,281

55.15%

Eggs

$3.80 $3.80

$3.07 COP 9,902

23.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.97 $11.97

$9.99 COP 32.3K

19.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-17.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 $14.23

$13.96 COP 45.1K

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$4.05 COP 13.1K

0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.53 COP 4,936

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.10 COP 6,795

54.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.29 COP 7,407

99.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.11 COP 6,812

3.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.71 COP 5,519

57.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.17 COP 3,779

94.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.58 COP 5,102

-15.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.30 $12.30

$3.91 COP 12.6K

214.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$14.04 COP 45.4K

7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.76 COP 5,689

22.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.71 COP 8,758

29.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.18 COP 3,810

-16.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.81 COP 5,835

67.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$2.13 COP 6,876

-69.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.94 $24.94

$8.13 COP 26.3K

206.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.28 COP 4,118

-13.28%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-20.93%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-22.60%

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

$238 $238

$178 COP 573.9K

33.82%

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

$45.91 $45.91

$13.89 COP 44.8K

230.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$30.74 COP 99.3K

97.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$12.79 $12.79

$7.47 COP 24.1K

71.22%

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

$987 $987

$790 COP 2.6M

24.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K $17.1K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

39.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.14 $49.14

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-43.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 $51.5

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-13.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$138 COP 446.7K

-26.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$98.8 COP 319.1K

23.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 $842

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$667 COP 2.2M

13.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,761 $1,761

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-57.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,777 $1,777

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-8.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,662 $6,662

$646 COP 2.1M

931.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.94

-37.66%

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

Last update for Urbana, IL: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urbana, IL

$759 40.2%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 12.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urbana, IL

$344 18.3%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 35.4% $122

Groceries & Markets

Urbana, IL

$339 18%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 9.4% $32

Eating Out

Urbana, IL

$262 13.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 34.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Urbana, IL

$146 7.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 17.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Urbana, IL

$26 * 1.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 123% $31

Getting Around

Urbana, IL

$10 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 819% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $842 in Urbana, 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 Urbana, IL are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Urbana, IL versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Urbana, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h ahead of Urbana, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,250

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Urbana, IL Medellin 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Yes – Urbana, IL is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,830 per month in Urbana, IL and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Urbana, IL, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $842 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Urbana, IL and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Urbana, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,886 in Urbana, 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 $1,886 in Urbana, 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, Urbana, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.