Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bien Hoa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bien Hoa: $671 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bien Hoa
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Bien Hoa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bien Hoa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$671

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $671 in Bien Hoa versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bien Hoa $671
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $921 in Bien Hoa versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bien Hoa $921
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,172 in Bien Hoa versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bien Hoa $1,172
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bien Hoa costs roughly 59% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bien Hoa is 51% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫48.9K

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-76.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.66 ₫300.9K

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-75.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ₫121.9K

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-50.32%

Cappuccino

$1.17 ₫30.2K

$3.01 COP 9,722

-61.13%

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

$0.43 ₫11.0K

$1.80 COP 5,801

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ₫5,417

$1.41 COP 4,554

-85.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.52 ₫13.3K

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-83.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₫20.2K

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-86.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ₫31.8K

$1.51 COP 4,869

-18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 ₫20.5K

$2.38 COP 7,667

-66.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$1.77 COP 5,712

-46.89%

Eggs

$1.44 ₫37.1K

$2.89 COP 9,320

-50.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 ₫307.7K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

17.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.96 ₫50.5K

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-80.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.82 ₫253.4K

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-29.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 ₫53.2K

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-48.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.55 COP 5,005

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.3K

$2.18 COP 7,039

-45.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$2.18 COP 7,041

-56.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.96 COP 6,328

-39.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.6K

$1.59 COP 5,125

-27.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 ₫10.5K

$1.15 COP 3,694

-64.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$1.24 COP 4,009

-60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.4K

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-68.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 ₫197.0K

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-44.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₫10.2K

$1.66 COP 5,352

-75.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$2.26 COP 7,281

-64.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫8,119

$1.17 COP 3,766

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.53 ₫168.4K

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-91.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 ₫12.6K

$1.27 COP 4,089

-61.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$2.05 COP 6,603

-72.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 ₫29.2K

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-86.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₫22.1K

$1.35 COP 4,343

-36.30%

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

$31.0K ₫800.4M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-8.94%

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

$29.5K ₫761.4M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-14.89%

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

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$170 COP 547.0K

-70.01%

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

$4.13 ₫106.6K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-69.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.59 ₫169.9K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-76.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.97 ₫283.0K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-74.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.86 ₫202.8K

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-54.28%

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 ₫88.3K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-50.51%

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

$67.4 ₫1.7M

$797 COP 2.6M

-91.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ₫376.4M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

60.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.21 ₫392.4K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-82.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.57 ₫401.8K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-73.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.0 ₫1.8M

$135 COP 435.2K

-49.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ₫2.4M

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-3.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ₫10.5M

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ₫7.2M

$642 COP 2.1M

-56.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 ₫10.9M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-79.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₫7.9M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-69.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,244 ₫57.9M

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-46.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,241 ₫32.0M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-35.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 ₫8.1M

$657 COP 2.1M

-52.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.8

10.94

-28.70%

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

Last update for Bien Hoa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bien Hoa

$279 41.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 130% $363

Groceries & Markets

Bien Hoa

$164 24.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 80.9% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Bien Hoa

$87 13%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 94.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bien Hoa

$62 9.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 243% $150

Eating Out

Bien Hoa

$50 7.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 239% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Bien Hoa

$18 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 223% $40

Getting Around

Bien Hoa

$11 1.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 745% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Bien Hoa and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.1 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $12 in Bien Hoa vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $297 per month, with Bien Hoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Bien Hoa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

19:08 7:08 PM

12 h behind Bien Hoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,272,235

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 = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bien Hoa Medellin 18,080 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Bien Hoa
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

Bien Hoa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bien Hoa is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Bien Hoa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $408 in Bien Hoa versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bien Hoa – a meal for two runs $12 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $671 in Bien Hoa versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bien Hoa but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bien Hoa 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 Bien Hoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.