Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benxi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $692 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
Learn more

Benxi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Benxi vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Benxi $692
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $991 per month in Benxi vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Benxi $991
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,291 per month in Benxi vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Benxi $1,291
Medellin $3,186

Benxi is about 58% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Benxi sits 49% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.19

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-62.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.33 ¥148

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-52.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.25

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-44.11%

Cappuccino

$2.40 ¥15.98

$3.01 COP 9,735

-20.27%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$1.80 COP 5,809

-71.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.89

$1.41 COP 4,561

-79.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 ¥4.84

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-77.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.69

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-69.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.28

$1.51 COP 4,876

22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.08

$2.38 COP 7,678

-48.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$1.77 COP 5,720

-52.54%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.89 COP 9,333

-44.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 ¥66.4

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-1.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.85 ¥18.92

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-71.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 ¥59.3

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-36.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.74

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-59.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.17

$1.55 COP 5,012

-10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.76

$2.18 COP 7,048

-25.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.12

$2.18 COP 7,051

-37.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.96 COP 6,337

-70.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.26

$1.59 COP 5,132

16.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.09

$1.15 COP 3,699

-46.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$1.24 COP 4,014

-44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ¥19.75

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 ¥54.7

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.66 COP 5,359

-65.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥8.30

$2.26 COP 7,291

-44.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.17 COP 3,771

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.21 ¥81.1

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-84.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$1.27 COP 4,094

-30.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.05 COP 6,612

-85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ¥19.82

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-65.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.53

$1.35 COP 4,349

-16.30%

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

$19.8K ¥131.7K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-41.84%

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

$18.0K ¥119.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-48.17%

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

$54.4 ¥361

$170 COP 547.8K

-67.96%

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

$6.70 ¥44.51

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-50.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.41 ¥69.2

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-62.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 ¥441

$43.70 COP 141.1K

51.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 ¥55.2

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-51.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ¥40.08

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-12.74%

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

$449 ¥2,985

$797 COP 2.6M

-43.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,894 ¥59.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-2.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.74 ¥198

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-64.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.77 ¥218

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-43.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 ¥400

$135 COP 435.8K

-55.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 ¥348

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-46.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$137 ¥907

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-88.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,259

$642 COP 2.1M

-70.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 ¥1,711

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-87.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ¥1,015

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-84.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,371 ¥22.4K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-19.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,941 ¥12.9K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

1.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$447 ¥2,971

$657 COP 2.1M

-31.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-63.44%

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

Last update for Benxi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benxi

$189 27.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 239% $452

Groceries & Markets

Benxi

$179 25.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 65.8% $118

Eating Out

Benxi

$79 11.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 114% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Benxi

$79 11.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 115% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Benxi

$78 11.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 26.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benxi

$71 10.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 196% $140

Getting Around

Benxi

$16 2.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 493% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $137 in Benxi versus $1,208 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 47% higher in Medellin, 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 $22 in Benxi versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $297 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Benxi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

13 h behind Benxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

809,655

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benxi Medellin 14,370 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Benxi
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

Benxi vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 137% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,039 per month in Benxi and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benxi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Benxi and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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