Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between West Lafayette, IN and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,355 in West Lafayette, IN, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in West Lafayette, IN
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West Lafayette, IN Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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West Lafayette, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,355

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,355 per month in West Lafayette, IN vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

West Lafayette, IN $2,355
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $3,398 per month in West Lafayette, IN vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

West Lafayette, IN $3,398
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $4,442 per month in West Lafayette, IN vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

West Lafayette, IN $4,442
Medellin $3,139

West Lafayette, IN costs about 48% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both West Lafayette, IN and Medellin sit above the global median – West Lafayette, IN by 76%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 $12.05

$8.01 COP 25.5K

50.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 $65.2

$46.55 COP 148.4K

39.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.61 $6.61

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-29.90%

Cappuccino

$4.56 $4.56

$2.91 COP 9,280

56.70%

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

$1.85 $1.85

$1.75 COP 5,586

5.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.32 COP 4,220

17.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.27 $5.27

$3.13 COP 9,972

68.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-36.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 $0.63

$1.41 COP 4,496

-55.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.44 COP 7,779

35.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.63 COP 5,192

18.40%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$2.82 COP 8,993

33.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.69 $21.69

$9.69 COP 30.9K

123.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.83 $5.83

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-37.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.50 $27.50

$13.46 COP 42.9K

104.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$4.00 COP 12.8K

11.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.48 COP 4,720

-14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.12 COP 6,770

53.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.25 COP 7,180

118.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.91 COP 6,093

70.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.62 COP 5,162

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.15 COP 3,659

71.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.26 COP 4,022

82.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 $12.06

$3.82 COP 12.2K

215.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.09 $11.09

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-15.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.60 COP 5,084

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.26 COP 7,190

127.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.17 COP 3,732

-16.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.45 $28.45

$75.0 COP 239.1K

-62.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 $5.60

$1.27 COP 4,057

340.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.05 COP 6,533

-53.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.84 $17.84

$8.20 COP 26.1K

117.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.27 COP 4,047

-27.56%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

36.62%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.4K COP 109.7M

-21.52%

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

$164 $164

$162 COP 517.0K

0.87%

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

$53.1 $53.1

$13.12 COP 41.8K

304.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.6 $64.6

$28.09 COP 89.5K

129.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 $29.75

$44.33 COP 141.3K

-32.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 $12.40

$16.33 COP 52.1K

-24.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.70 $13.70

$6.09 COP 19.4K

124.96%

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

$998 $998

$764 COP 2.4M

30.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 $74.7

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-12.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.64 $42.64

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-25.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.6 $66.6

$132 COP 420.0K

-49.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 $89.8

$95.8 COP 305.2K

-6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 $1,377

$1,028 COP 3.3M

33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$604 COP 1.9M

109.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$1,802 COP 5.7M

30.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 $1,937

$993 COP 3.2M

95.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,746 $1,746

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-55.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,806 $1,806

$1,639 COP 5.2M

10.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,733 $8,733

$626 COP 2.0M

1294.76%

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 West Lafayette, IN: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

West Lafayette, IN

$1.3K 53%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 52.3% $662

Groceries & Markets

West Lafayette, IN

$400 16.7%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 27.8% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

West Lafayette, IN

$281 11.8%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 27.7% $78

Eating Out

West Lafayette, IN

$218 9.1%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 23.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

West Lafayette, IN

$123 5.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 35.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

West Lafayette, IN

$57 2.4%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 1.1% $0.6

Getting Around

West Lafayette, IN

$43 1.8%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 113% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,377 in West Lafayette, IN 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 1295% higher in West Lafayette, IN, 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 $65.0 in West Lafayette, IN versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 West Lafayette, IN

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

13:18 1:18 PM

1 h behind West Lafayette, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,997

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,572 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

West Lafayette, IN Medellin 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

West Lafayette, IN
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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

West Lafayette, IN vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – West Lafayette, IN is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,532 per month in West Lafayette, IN and $2,384 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 $65.0 in West Lafayette, IN and $47.00 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 $2,355 in West Lafayette, IN and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 48%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in West Lafayette, IN at $2,355. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in West Lafayette, IN 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.

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.

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