Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baotou and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Baotou vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Baotou $768
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,248 per month in Baotou vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Baotou $1,248
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,728 per month in Baotou vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Baotou $1,728
Medellin $3,199

Baotou is about 53% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Baotou sits 43% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.26 ¥35.18

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-36.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.87 ¥153

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-51.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 ¥63.5

$9.24 COP 29.3K

2.81%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ¥18.56

$3.05 COP 9,676

-8.85%

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

$0.47 ¥3.17

$1.80 COP 5,707

-73.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.38 COP 4,382

-77.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ¥7.59

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-65.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.77

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-65.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$1.50 COP 4,760

24.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.65

$2.37 COP 7,508

-32.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.35

$1.70 COP 5,377

-61.76%

Eggs

$2.48 ¥16.55

$2.96 COP 9,379

-16.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.77 ¥92.1

$10.22 COP 32.4K

34.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 ¥25.86

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-60.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.26 ¥82.0

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-11.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-54.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.53 COP 4,839

-13.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.01

$2.22 COP 7,052

-32.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$2.27 COP 7,194

-44.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$1.99 COP 6,311

-62.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$1.67 COP 5,285

-39.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.18 COP 3,742

-50.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.24 COP 3,919

-52.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 ¥28.59

$3.87 COP 12.3K

10.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 ¥72.4

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.77

$1.66 COP 5,256

-48.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.34

$2.40 COP 7,615

-35.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.24 COP 3,944

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 ¥110

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-79.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ¥6.85

$1.28 COP 4,044

-20.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$2.15 COP 6,803

-83.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.09 ¥47.38

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-15.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.77

$1.35 COP 4,288

-14.07%

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

$21.1K ¥141.2K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-39.24%

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

$20.1K ¥134.6K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-41.95%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$167 COP 528.4K

-65.17%

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

$8.15 ¥54.5

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-40.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.65 ¥64.5

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-66.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.39 ¥317

$45.09 COP 143.0K

5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.49 ¥104

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-9.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ¥34.00

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-27.12%

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

$371 ¥2,483

$790 COP 2.5M

-53.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥131.8K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

118.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.80 ¥286

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-51.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.08 ¥241

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥492

$139 COP 440.7K

-47.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 ¥591

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-10.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ¥1,758

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-74.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ¥1,154

$620 COP 2.0M

-72.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 ¥4,042

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-67.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,543

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-62.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 ¥20.9K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-21.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ¥13.6K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

19.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$666 ¥4,454

$663 COP 2.1M

0.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

10.94

-69.29%

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

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baotou

$217 28.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 37.2% $81

Accommodation & Living

Baotou

$173 22.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 259% $447

Eating Out

Baotou

$117 15.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 46.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Baotou

$108 14.1%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 59.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baotou

$76 9.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 176% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Baotou

$58 7.5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 2.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Baotou

$20 2.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 366% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Baotou 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 0% higher in Baotou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Baotou versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $298 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baotou

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

20:46 8:46 PM

13 h behind Baotou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,709,378

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baotou Medellin 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Baotou
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

Baotou vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $768 in Baotou, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,153 per month in Baotou 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 Baotou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Baotou and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $768 in Baotou to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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