Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changde and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Changde: $650 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Changde
Learn more

Changde Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Changde

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $650 per month in Changde vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Changde $650
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,126 per month in Changde vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Changde $1,126
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Changde vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Changde $1,602
Medellin $3,190

Changde is about 60% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Changde sits 52% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.70

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-72.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.66 ¥118

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-61.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ¥33.67

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-46.95%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥15.81

$3.11 COP 9,866

-23.79%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.83 COP 5,800

-75.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$1.38 COP 4,360

-81.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.85

$3.05 COP 9,672

-61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.26

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-64.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$1.45 COP 4,600

2.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 ¥15.30

$2.36 COP 7,496

-2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.68 COP 5,328

-48.21%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.58

$2.86 COP 9,077

-39.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 ¥86.0

$10.19 COP 32.3K

26.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 ¥27.16

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-57.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 ¥76.6

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-18.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.82

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-60.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.50 COP 4,742

-18.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.36

$2.17 COP 6,891

-49.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$2.31 COP 7,310

-62.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.93 COP 6,113

-67.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.94

$1.64 COP 5,196

-54.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$1.13 COP 3,571

-65.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.48

$1.25 COP 3,954

-58.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.28

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-24.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ¥85.2

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.91

$1.70 COP 5,384

-39.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$2.37 COP 7,525

-69.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.21 COP 3,827

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.85 ¥119

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-76.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$1.32 COP 4,179

-10.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.14 COP 6,774

-85.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-48.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.72

$1.30 COP 4,114

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

$19.1K ¥127.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-31.89%

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

$17.9K ¥120.0K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-49.32%

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

$55.6 ¥372

$172 COP 545.6K

-67.71%

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

$9.17 ¥61.3

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-31.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.23 ¥75.1

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-60.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.44 ¥284

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-6.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-13.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.86

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-7.48%

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

$328 ¥2,191

$770 COP 2.4M

-57.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.5K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

85.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 ¥568

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-1.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 ¥233

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-39.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 ¥595

$137 COP 432.9K

-34.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.6 ¥398

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-39.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 ¥886

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-87.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.4 ¥638

$616 COP 2.0M

-84.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 ¥4,127

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-67.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,492

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-63.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 ¥26.4K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-2.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 ¥13.2K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

17.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$745 ¥4,980

$652 COP 2.1M

14.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

10.94

-68.37%

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

Last update for Changde: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changde

$209 32.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 41.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Changde

$121 18.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 40.9% $49

Accommodation & Living

Changde

$95 14.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 546% $520

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changde

$76 11.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 182% $138

Eating Out

Changde

$74 11.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 129% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Changde

$54 8.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 6.9% $3.7

Getting Around

Changde

$22 3.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 329% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $132 in Changde versus $1,055 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 14% higher in Changde, 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 $18.00 in Changde versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $295 – making Changde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changde

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

02:39 2:39 AM

13 h behind Changde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,717,200

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Changde Medellin 16,010 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Changde
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

Changde vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 148% more than Changde, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $975 per month in Changde and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Changde and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $650 in Changde and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 148%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Changde, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Changde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Changde costs $650 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Changde. 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.