Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,473 in Barranquilla, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,473

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barranquilla and in Shantou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barranquilla and in Shantou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,473 per month in Barranquilla vs $692 in Shantou, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,473
Shantou $692

A couple spends around $2,280 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,104 in Shantou, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,280
Shantou $1,104

A family of three spends $3,087 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,516 in Shantou, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,087
Shantou $1,516

Barranquilla costs about 113% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Barranquilla sits 9% above the global median, while Shantou is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$2.29 ¥15.34

304.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 COP 198.5K

$23.70 ¥158

164.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.02 COP 44.5K

$5.17 ¥34.58

171.18%

Cappuccino

$2.73 COP 8,664

$3.38 ¥22.63

-19.23%

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

$1.33 COP 4,230

$0.47 ¥3.12

182.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,016

$0.31 ¥2.05

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 COP 10.1K

$0.88 ¥5.91

262.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 COP 24.2K

$2.13 ¥14.27

258.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 COP 2,897

$1.60 ¥10.71

-43.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 COP 3,866

$1.45 ¥9.73

-15.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,823

$0.77 ¥5.17

97.40%

Eggs

$2.16 COP 6,836

$1.69 ¥11.33

27.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 COP 16.2K

$13.63 ¥91.1

-62.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.67 COP 56.0K

$3.43 ¥22.90

415.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 COP 21.5K

$13.16 ¥88.0

-48.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,823

$1.95 ¥13.03

10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,031

$1.50 ¥10.05

-36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.65 COP 2,047

$1.81 ¥12.13

-64.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,804

$1.30 ¥8.70

40.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 COP 3,931

$0.82 ¥5.49

51.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,055

$1.06 ¥7.11

-9.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 COP 3,911

$0.59 ¥3.96

108.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 COP 3,052

$0.43 ¥2.87

123.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 COP 16.3K

$3.69 ¥24.70

39.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 COP 39.6K

$12.00 ¥80.2

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 COP 4,855

$0.83 ¥5.57

84.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 COP 15.1K

$1.79 ¥11.98

165.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,753

$0.36 ¥2.41

227.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 COP 10.9K

$1.53 ¥10.24

123.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 COP 9,743

$0.38 ¥2.56

707.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.45 COP 49.0K

$7.31 ¥48.85

111.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,178

$1.23 ¥8.24

7.32%

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

$22.3K COP 70.8M

$19.8K ¥132.3K

12.87%

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

$29.3K COP 93.0M

$18.0K ¥120.5K

62.70%

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

$149 COP 473.8K

$56.7 ¥379

163.77%

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

$14.84 COP 47.0K

$8.89 ¥59.4

66.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.41 COP 102.8K

$13.86 ¥92.7

133.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 COP 108.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 COP 14.5K

$7.54 ¥50.5

-39.39%

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

$317 COP 1.0M

$540 ¥3,613

-41.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,749 COP 15.1M

$24.2K ¥162.0K

-80.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 COP 362.0K

$55.6 ¥372

105.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 COP 151.2K

$39.70 ¥265

20.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$189 COP 600.2K

$73.1 ¥488

159.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 COP 797.8K

$91.4 ¥611

175.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 COP 2.5M

$298 ¥1,991

160.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 COP 1.6M

$151 ¥1,011

227.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.5M

$602 ¥4,027

33.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$878 COP 2.8M

$294 ¥1,968

198.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 COP 5.8M

$2,278 ¥15.2K

-19.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$641 COP 2.0M

$4,469 ¥29.9K

-85.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 COP 1.6M

$1,062 ¥7,097

-52.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

198.51%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barranquilla

$495 33.6%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 69.4% $343

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$271 18.4%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 56.9% $154

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$253 17.2%

Shantou

$214 31% 15.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$197 13.4%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 59.6% $117

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$191 12.9%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 54.7% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$43 3%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 65.3% $28

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$24 * 1.6%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 24% $5.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Barranquilla versus $298 in Shantou. 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 110% higher in Shantou, 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 $63.0 in Barranquilla versus $24.00 in Shantou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $214 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

05:57 5:57 AM

13 h ahead of Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

5,389,328

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Barranquilla Shantou 16,000 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Barranquilla
Shantou

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

Barranquilla vs Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barranquilla costs about 113% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,209 per month in Barranquilla and $1,038 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shantou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,473 in Barranquilla and $692 in Shantou. That's a gap of about 113%.

Kindergarten costs $317 per month in Barranquilla and $540 in Shantou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Barranquilla at $1,473. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barranquilla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barranquilla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.