Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Chengdu vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Chengdu $726
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Chengdu vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Chengdu $1,170
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,614 per month in Chengdu vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Chengdu $1,614
Medellin $3,186

Chengdu is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chengdu sits 47% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.43

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-63.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-52.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.28

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-48.95%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.94

$3.01 COP 9,722

-0.33%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$1.80 COP 5,801

-71.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$1.41 COP 4,554

-81.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-52.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.20

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-60.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.29

$1.51 COP 4,869

22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.38 COP 7,667

-37.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.77 COP 5,712

-44.07%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$2.89 COP 9,320

-44.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 ¥95.2

$10.19 COP 32.9K

40.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.25

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-63.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ¥73.3

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-21.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.62

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-52.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$1.55 COP 5,005

-10.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$2.18 COP 7,039

-52.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.97

$2.18 COP 7,041

-44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$1.96 COP 6,328

-62.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.56

$1.59 COP 5,125

-56.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$1.15 COP 3,694

-44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.83

$1.24 COP 4,009

-53.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.53

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-6.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.08

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-68.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.66 COP 5,352

-49.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$2.26 COP 7,281

-34.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.17 COP 3,766

-75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.23 ¥168

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-67.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$1.27 COP 4,089

4.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$2.05 COP 6,603

-84.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.07

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-48.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$1.35 COP 4,343

-5.93%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-42.33%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-47.94%

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

$46.65 ¥310

$170 COP 547.0K

-72.50%

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

$9.40 ¥62.6

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-30.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.87 ¥85.6

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-54.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 ¥180

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-37.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.6

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-34.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ¥41.02

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-10.71%

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

$1,161 ¥7,724

$797 COP 2.6M

45.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K ¥101.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

67.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.36 ¥169

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-70.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.52 ¥183

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-52.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥380

$135 COP 435.2K

-57.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥354

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-45.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥2,829

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-64.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 ¥1,540

$642 COP 2.1M

-63.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ¥5,026

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-62.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,178

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-52.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-16.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-3.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 ¥8,502

$657 COP 2.1M

94.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

10.94

-69.10%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$231 31.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 177% $410

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 26.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 52.4% $102

Eating Out

Chengdu

$89 12.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 90.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 10.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 130% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 207% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 45.9% $18

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 220% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Chengdu 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 94% 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 $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $297 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

03:12 3:12 AM

13 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

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 = 2.78 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 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 CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Chengdu Medellin 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $726 in Chengdu, $1,639 in Medellin – Chengdu comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,090 per month in Chengdu 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 Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu and $47 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 $726 in Chengdu and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Chengdu about 56% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Chengdu to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chengdu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.