Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,409 in Cheongju versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Cheongju $1,409
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,329 in Cheongju versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Cheongju $2,329
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Cheongju versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Cheongju $3,249
Medellin $3,186

Living in Cheongju costs roughly 14% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheongju 4% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ₩10.0K

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-7.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.95 ₩65.7K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

4.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 ₩7,898

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-38.11%

Cappuccino

$3.66 ₩4,909

$3.01 COP 9,485

21.59%

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

$1.84 ₩2,476

$1.80 COP 5,660

2.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,874

$1.41 COP 4,443

-0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,906

$3.18 COP 9,990

14.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₩5,816

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-24.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩3,026

$1.51 COP 4,751

49.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,370

$2.38 COP 7,480

36.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,102

$1.77 COP 5,573

72.32%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,672

$2.89 COP 9,093

-5.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$10.19 COP 32.1K

9.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 ₩14.3K

$9.87 COP 31.1K

7.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.55 ₩33.0K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

75.48%

Apples (1kg)

$11.40 ₩15.3K

$3.97 COP 12.5K

187.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,819

$1.55 COP 4,883

131.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 ₩11.1K

$2.18 COP 6,867

280.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,855

$2.18 COP 6,870

168.35%

Potato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,842

$1.96 COP 6,174

197.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,602

$1.59 COP 5,000

115.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,854

$1.15 COP 3,604

149.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,779

$1.24 COP 3,911

7.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,627

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-12.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.71 ₩25.1K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

36.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₩3,303

$1.66 COP 5,221

48.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ₩4,572

$2.26 COP 7,103

50.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$1.17 COP 3,674

-1.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ₩4,701

$1.27 COP 3,989

175.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₩1,021

$2.05 COP 6,442

-62.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 ₩22.4K

$8.55 COP 26.9K

94.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,823

$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

14.58%

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

$33.7K ₩45.3M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-2.70%

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

$205 ₩275.0K

$170 COP 533.7K

20.71%

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

$24.30 ₩32.6K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

79.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.72 ₩37.2K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-1.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ₩71.9K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

22.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ₩18.8K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-18.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 ₩15.9K

$6.91 COP 21.7K

70.91%

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

$651 ₩873.5K

$797 COP 2.5M

-18.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.3M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

139.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.84 ₩49.5K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-56.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 ₩87.8K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

12.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩126.0K

$135 COP 424.6K

-30.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩152.1K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

15.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ₩459.8K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-71.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₩369.7K

$642 COP 2.0M

-57.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 ₩1.6M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-40.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₩1.0M

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-24.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,228 ₩9.7M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

73.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,619 ₩7.5M

$1,910 COP 6.0M

194.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,613 ₩3.5M

$657 COP 2.1M

297.66%

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 Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cheongju

$488 34.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 39.1% $191

Accommodation & Living

Cheongju

$275 19.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 133% $366

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheongju

$257 18.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 17.7% $46

Eating Out

Cheongju

$161 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 5.2% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Cheongju

$139 9.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 21.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cheongju

$77 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.5% $20

Getting Around

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 688% $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 $342 in Cheongju and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49 in Cheongju vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

09:05 9:05 AM

14 h behind Cheongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

835,669

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cheongju Medellin 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheongju
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

Cheongju vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cheongju is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $342 in Cheongju versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $651 in Cheongju versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cheongju is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.