Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Manizales

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $1,181 in Manizales, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Manizales
Learn more

Manizales Living Index

Jump to prices

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Manizales

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Manizales

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Chengdu vs $1,181 in Manizales, rent included.

Chengdu $726
Manizales $1,181

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Chengdu vs $1,863 in Manizales, rent included.

Chengdu $1,170
Manizales $1,863

A family of three spends $1,614 per month in Chengdu vs $2,546 in Manizales, rent included.

Chengdu $1,614
Manizales $2,546

Chengdu is about 38% cheaper than Manizales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chengdu and Manizales are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 47% lower, Manizales 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.41

$7.09 COP 22.9K

-58.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$42.81 COP 138.2K

-47.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.24

$10.30 COP 33.3K

-52.91%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.92

$1.75 COP 5,652

71.43%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$1.34 COP 4,324

-61.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.85 COP 2,739

-69.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.05

$1.78 COP 5,747

-15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.18

$2.58 COP 8,331

-11.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.27

$0.76 COP 2,447

143.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.87

$2.46 COP 7,942

-39.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.57

$1.75 COP 5,654

-43.43%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.68

$3.47 COP 11.2K

-53.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 ¥95.1

$8.35 COP 27.0K

71.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.22

$7.17 COP 23.1K

-49.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ¥73.3

$9.59 COP 31.0K

14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.60

$3.50 COP 11.3K

-45.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.22

$1.85 COP 5,985

-24.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.90

$2.02 COP 6,513

-48.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.96

$1.91 COP 6,165

-37.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.90

$1.49 COP 4,810

-50.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.56

$1.37 COP 4,412

-49.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$1.30 COP 4,201

-50.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.83

$1.14 COP 3,687

-49.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.50

$4.47 COP 14.4K

-17.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.05

$12.78 COP 41.3K

-65.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.47 COP 4,736

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-52.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.98 COP 3,169

-70.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.23 ¥168

$55.6 COP 179.4K

-54.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.82

$1.59 COP 5,142

-16.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.55 COP 5,007

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.04

$9.38 COP 30.3K

-53.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.30 COP 4,210

-2.31%

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

$19.6K ¥130.5K

$35.1K COP 113.4M

-44.08%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$34.8K COP 112.5M

-48.20%

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

$46.65 ¥310

$125 COP 403.1K

-62.63%

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

$9.40 ¥62.5

$12.18 COP 39.3K

-22.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.87 ¥85.5

$30.00 COP 96.9K

-57.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 ¥180

$32.62 COP 105.3K

-16.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.5

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ¥40.97

$7.71 COP 24.9K

-19.97%

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

$1,161 ¥7,714

$571 COP 1.8M

103.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K ¥101.4K

$7,683 COP 24.8M

98.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.36 ¥169

$85.7 COP 276.8K

-70.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.52 ¥183

$49.01 COP 158.2K

-43.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥380

$146 COP 470.6K

-60.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥353

$108 COP 348.2K

-50.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥2,826

$392 COP 1.3M

8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 ¥1,538

$336 COP 1.1M

-31.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ¥5,020

$1,092 COP 3.5M

-30.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,174

$690 COP 2.2M

-30.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

$2,494 COP 8.1M

39.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

$1,803 COP 5.8M

2.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 ¥8,491

$1,206 COP 3.9M

6.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

-71.83%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manizales: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$231 31.9%

Manizales

$336 28.5% 45.3% $105

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 26.8%

Manizales

$254 21.5% 30.5% $59

Eating Out

Chengdu

$89 12.3%

Manizales

$131 11.1% 47.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 10.1%

Manizales

$175 14.8% 138% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.5%

Manizales

$167 14.2% 142% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Manizales

$48 4.1% 21.8% $8.6

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 4%

Manizales

$69 5.8% 135% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Chengdu versus $392 in Manizales. 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 6% higher in Chengdu, 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 $22 in Chengdu versus $43 in Manizales. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $254 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇨🇴 Manizales

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

04:37 4:37 AM

13 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

458,442

💱 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 = 2.78 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chengdu Manizales 16,040 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Manizales

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

Chengdu vs Manizales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $726 in Chengdu, $1,181 in Manizales – Chengdu comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,090 per month in Chengdu and $1,771 in Manizales. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $425 in Chengdu and $392 in Manizales. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu and $43 in Manizales. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $726 in Chengdu and $1,181 in Manizales. That makes Chengdu about 38% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Manizales has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Chengdu to $1,181 in Manizales. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.