Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukegan, IL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Waukegan, IL
Learn more

Waukegan, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,588

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,588 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $2,588
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,760 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $3,760
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $4,931
Medellin $3,199

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.80 $18.80

$8.30 COP 26.3K

126.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$46.91 COP 148.7K

57.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$9.24 COP 29.3K

20.02%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.05 COP 9,676

65.25%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.80 COP 5,707

37.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.38 COP 4,382

41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.24 COP 10.3K

88.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$5.56 COP 17.6K

28.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 COP 4,760

-32.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.37 COP 7,508

45.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.70 COP 5,377

146.47%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$2.96 COP 9,379

37.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$10.22 COP 32.4K

21.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$9.74 COP 30.9K

17.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.90 COP 44.1K

9.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.13 COP 13.1K

19.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.53 COP 4,839

1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.22 COP 7,052

86.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.27 COP 7,194

102.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.99 COP 6,311

39.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.67 COP 5,285

71.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.18 COP 3,742

71.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.24 COP 3,919

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$3.87 COP 12.3K

147.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$13.78 COP 43.7K

0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.66 COP 5,256

6.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.40 COP 7,615

36.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.24 COP 3,944

58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.28 COP 4,044

175.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.15 COP 6,803

-26.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 $28.94

$8.37 COP 26.5K

245.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.35 COP 4,288

-32.59%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-14.43%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-26.20%

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

$188 $188

$167 COP 528.4K

13.00%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$13.62 COP 43.2K

280.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$29.12 COP 92.3K

127.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-5.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$6.97 COP 22.1K

91.82%

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

$1,314 $1,314

$790 COP 2.5M

66.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

160.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-41.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-30.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$139 COP 440.7K

-37.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$98.9 COP 313.5K

15.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$1,028 COP 3.3M

58.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$620 COP 2.0M

121.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$1,881 COP 6.0M

37.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$1,008 COP 3.2M

121.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,798 $2,798

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-29.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$1,702 COP 5.4M

42.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

10.94

-40.49%

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

Last update for Waukegan, 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

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 53.1%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 54.9% $754

Groceries & Markets

Waukegan, IL

$382 14.7%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 21.9% $84

Eating Out

Waukegan, IL

$307 11.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 44.3% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukegan, IL

$306 11.8%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 31.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Waukegan, IL

$132 5.1%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 30.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Waukegan, IL

$69 2.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 14.6% $10

Getting Around

Waukegan, IL

$19 * 0.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 394% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Waukegan, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Waukegan, IL versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

Same time as Waukegan, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,321

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waukegan, IL Medellin 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukegan, 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

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

Yes – Waukegan, IL is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,882 per month in Waukegan, IL and $2,437 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Waukegan, IL and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Waukegan, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Waukegan, IL at $2,588. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waukegan, IL 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.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waukegan, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.