Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bac Kan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Kan: $819 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Bac Kan
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Bac Kan Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bac Kan

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$819

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $819 in Bac Kan versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Bac Kan $819
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,293 in Bac Kan versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Bac Kan $1,293
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,768 in Bac Kan versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Bac Kan $1,768
Medellin $3,249

Living in Bac Kan costs roughly 52% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bac Kan is 39% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 ₫51.4K

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-76.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.09 ₫594.6K

$46.53 COP 150.2K

-50.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫116.9K

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-52.06%

Cappuccino

$1.88 ₫48.3K

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-39.94%

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

$0.49 ₫12.6K

$1.77 COP 5,702

-72.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,587

$1.42 COP 4,599

-76.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-62.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₫50.8K

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-65.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ₫39.1K

$1.53 COP 4,948

-0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₫25.9K

$2.29 COP 7,397

-55.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₫21.0K

$1.94 COP 6,279

-58.25%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.1K

$3.07 COP 9,900

-50.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫311.0K

$9.99 COP 32.3K

20.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 ₫95.4K

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-64.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 ₫238.7K

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-33.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 ₫82.0K

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-21.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.4K

$1.53 COP 4,934

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.5K

$2.10 COP 6,794

-38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₫28.8K

$2.29 COP 7,405

-51.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.3K

$2.11 COP 6,810

-56.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.5K

$1.71 COP 5,518

-32.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₫15.2K

$1.17 COP 3,778

-49.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$1.58 COP 5,101

-66.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.40 ₫36.0K

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-64.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 ₫273.2K

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-24.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₫23.8K

$1.76 COP 5,688

-47.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₫42.0K

$2.71 COP 8,756

-39.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ₫9,033

$1.18 COP 3,809

-70.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.71 ₫198.4K

$76.3 COP 246.3K

-89.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 ₫23.7K

$1.81 COP 5,833

-49.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$2.13 COP 6,874

-71.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₫61.7K

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-70.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.4K

$1.28 COP 4,117

-28.91%

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

$30.7K ₫789.9M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-10.93%

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

$28.8K ₫742.7M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-15.50%

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

$83.5 ₫2.1M

$178 COP 573.8K

-53.04%

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

$4.92 ₫126.7K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-64.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.79 ₫226.3K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-71.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.75 ₫457.1K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-57.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.94 ₫204.6K

$16.80 COP 54.2K

-52.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 ₫116.5K

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-39.49%

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

$333 ₫8.6M

$790 COP 2.6M

-57.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K ₫755.3M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

138.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 ₫1.1M

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-48.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.13 ₫724.4K

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-52.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 ₫2.2M

$138 COP 446.6K

-38.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 ₫1.9M

$98.8 COP 319.0K

-26.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 ₫11.6M

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-66.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ₫8.2M

$667 COP 2.2M

-52.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ₫15.6M

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-69.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 ₫17.0M

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-36.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,473 ₫63.7M

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-39.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 ₫29.5M

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-40.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.17

10.94

-25.32%

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

Last update for Bac Kan: 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

Bac Kan

$320 39.1%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 108% $347

Groceries & Markets

Bac Kan

$193 23.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 59.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Bac Kan

$104 12.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 66% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bac Kan

$97 11.9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 129% $125

Eating Out

Bac Kan

$65 8%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 164% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Bac Kan

$27 3.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 112% $30

Getting Around

Bac Kan

$13 1.6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 617% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $452 in Bac Kan and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Bac Kan vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $307 per month, with Bac Kan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Bac Kan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

12 h behind Bac Kan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,510

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 25,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,797 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bac Kan Medellin 16,850 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Bac Kan
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

Bac Kan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bac Kan is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,229 in Bac Kan and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $452 in Bac Kan versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bac Kan – a meal for two runs $23 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $819 per month in Bac Kan versus $1,692 in Medellin – Bac Kan is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $819 in Bac Kan versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bac Kan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bac Kan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bac Kan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.