Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo, IA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,807 in Waterloo, IA, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo, IA
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Waterloo, IA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Waterloo, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,807

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,807 per month in Waterloo, IA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Waterloo, IA $1,807
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,550 per month in Waterloo, IA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Waterloo, IA $2,550
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,294 per month in Waterloo, IA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Waterloo, IA $3,294
Medellin $3,186

Waterloo, IA costs about 10% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waterloo, IA and Medellin sit above the global median – Waterloo, IA by 33%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.11 $16.11

$8.09 COP 26.1K

99.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 $56.4

$47.05 COP 151.9K

19.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 $8.91

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-6.21%

Cappuccino

$5.81 $5.81

$3.01 COP 9,735

93.02%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.80 COP 5,809

48.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.41 COP 4,561

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.18 COP 10.3K

23.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$5.75 COP 18.6K

36.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.51 COP 4,876

-35.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.38 COP 7,678

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.77 COP 5,720

-1.69%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$2.89 COP 9,333

24.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.41 $13.41

$10.19 COP 32.9K

31.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 $13.36

$9.87 COP 31.9K

35.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$13.99 COP 45.2K

24.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.97 COP 12.8K

18.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.55 COP 5,012

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.18 COP 7,048

77.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.18 COP 7,051

103.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.96 COP 6,337

-41.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.59 COP 5,132

38.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.15 COP 3,699

71.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.24 COP 4,014

26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.25 $8.25

$3.96 COP 12.8K

108.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.98 $13.98

$13.68 COP 44.2K

2.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.66 COP 5,359

63.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.26 COP 7,291

-21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.27 COP 4,094

218.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.05 COP 6,612

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.55 $44.55

$8.55 COP 27.6K

421.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.35 COP 4,349

-25.19%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-9.03%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.95%

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

$152 $152

$170 COP 547.8K

-10.51%

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

$52.8 $52.8

$13.55 COP 43.8K

289.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 $60.8

$28.07 COP 90.6K

116.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.92 $26.92

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-38.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$6.91 COP 22.3K

119.83%

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

$1,662 $1,662

$797 COP 2.6M

108.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

160.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.83 $19.83

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-76.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.15 $15.15

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-73.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.9 $58.9

$135 COP 435.8K

-56.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 $79.2

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-19.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$850 $850

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-29.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 $749

$642 COP 2.1M

16.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-32.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 $973

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-3.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,582 $1,582

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-62.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,530 $1,530

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-19.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,801 $3,801

$657 COP 2.1M

478.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

10.94

-38.85%

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

Last update for Waterloo, IA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waterloo, IA

$749 41.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 14.3% $107

Groceries & Markets

Waterloo, IA

$364 20.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 18.5% $67

Eating Out

Waterloo, IA

$279 15.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 39.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterloo, IA

$265 14.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 20.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Waterloo, IA

$78 4.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 117% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Waterloo, IA

$57 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Waterloo, IA

$14 * 0.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 559% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $850 in Waterloo, IA 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.

Salaries in Waterloo, IA are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Waterloo, IA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waterloo, IA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

1 h ahead of Waterloo, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,314

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Waterloo, IA Medellin 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterloo, IA
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

Waterloo, IA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waterloo, IA is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,711 per month in Waterloo, IA 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 Waterloo, IA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $850 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 23% more in Waterloo, IA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,807 in Waterloo, IA and $1,639 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 $1,639 in Medellin to $1,807 in Waterloo, IA. 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, Waterloo, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.