Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changwon and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Changwon: $1,529 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Changwon, South Korea
Medellin, Colombia
Changwon
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,529
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,529 in Changwon versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Changwon $1,529
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,381 in Changwon versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Changwon $2,381
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,233 in Changwon versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Changwon $3,233
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Changwon costs roughly 7% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Changwon 12% above, Medellin 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.34 ₩9,862
$8.09 COP 25.4K
-9.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.81 ₩37.3K
$47.05 COP 148.0K
-40.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.34 ₩7,167
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-43.79%
Cappuccino
$3.78 ₩5,079
$3.01 COP 9,485
25.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 ₩2,513
$1.80 COP 5,660
3.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 ₩1,359
$1.41 COP 4,443
-28.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.02 ₩4,050
$3.18 COP 9,990
-5.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 ₩5,870
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-24.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.35 ₩3,161
$1.51 COP 4,751
55.63%
White Bread (500g)
$3.24 ₩4,357
$2.38 COP 7,480
36.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.20 ₩4,303
$1.77 COP 5,573
80.79%
Eggs
$2.63 ₩3,538
$2.89 COP 9,093
-9.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.08 ₩14.9K
$10.19 COP 32.1K
8.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₩14.1K
$9.87 COP 31.1K
6.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.38 ₩34.1K
$13.99 COP 44.0K
81.42%
Apples (1kg)
$11.39 ₩15.3K
$3.97 COP 12.5K
186.90%
Banana (1kg)
$3.73 ₩5,009
$1.55 COP 4,883
140.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.96 ₩10.7K
$2.18 COP 6,867
265.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.86 ₩7,874
$2.18 COP 6,870
168.81%
Potato (1kg)
$5.95 ₩7,991
$1.96 COP 6,174
203.57%
Onion (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,535
$1.59 COP 5,000
112.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 ₩3,831
$1.15 COP 3,604
147.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₩1,778
$1.24 COP 3,911
6.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 ₩4,520
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-14.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.88 ₩25.4K
$13.68 COP 43.0K
38.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 ₩3,317
$1.66 COP 5,221
48.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 ₩4,539
$2.26 COP 7,103
49.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.16 ₩1,558
$1.17 COP 3,674
-0.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.98 ₩4,008
$1.27 COP 3,989
134.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₩1,052
$2.05 COP 6,442
-61.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.79 ₩22.5K
$8.55 COP 26.9K
96.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ₩1,830
$1.35 COP 4,237
0.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K ₩52.4M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
14.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ₩45.6M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-2.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 ₩268.3K
$170 COP 533.7K
17.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.15 ₩48.5K
$13.55 COP 42.6K
166.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.46 ₩36.9K
$28.07 COP 88.3K
-2.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 ₩71.6K
$43.70 COP 137.5K
22.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.13 ₩19.0K
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-17.80%
Cinema Ticket
$11.29 ₩15.2K
$6.91 COP 21.7K
63.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$646 ₩867.1K
$797 COP 2.5M
-18.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K ₩28.8M
$9,112 COP 28.7M
135.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₩140.3K
$84.7 COP 266.5K
23.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.5 ₩88.0K
$58.0 COP 182.3K
13.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.3 ₩124.0K
$135 COP 424.6K
-31.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 ₩172.6K
$97.9 COP 307.9K
31.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$484 ₩649.8K
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-59.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$356 ₩478.0K
$642 COP 2.0M
-44.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,160 ₩1.6M
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-42.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$756 ₩1.0M
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-25.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,009 ₩9.4M
$4,170 COP 13.1M
68.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,457 ₩7.3M
$1,910 COP 6.0M
185.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Changwon
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,713 ₩2.3M
$657 COP 2.1M
160.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
10.94
-61.43%

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

Last update for Changwon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Changwon
$491
Medellin
$297 39.5% $194
Accommodation & Living
Changwon
$356
Medellin
$642 80.2% $286
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Changwon
$263
Medellin
$211 19.8% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Changwon
$176
Medellin
$169 3.9% $6.9
Eating Out
Changwon
$156
Medellin
$170 9.1% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Changwon
$76
Medellin
$58 24.2% $18
Getting Around
Changwon
$12 *
Medellin
$94 711% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $484 in Changwon and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changwon pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28 in Changwon vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $491 vs $297, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Changwon
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
06:08 6:08 AM
16:08 4:08 PM
14 h behind Changwon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,055,839
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Changwon Medellin 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Changwon
  • 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
Changwon vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Changwon and in Medellin?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,529 in Changwon and $1,639 in Medellin, so Changwon is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Changwon or Medellin?
Average pay in Changwon is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Changwon and in Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $484 in Changwon versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 39% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Changwon or Medellin?
All in, you’ll spend $1,529 per month in Changwon versus $1,639 in Medellin – Changwon is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $2,000 go in Changwon compared to Medellin?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Changwon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Changwon and Medellin?
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.

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