Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chungju and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,472 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Chungju, South Korea
Medellin, Colombia
Chungju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,472
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Chungju vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Chungju $1,472
  • Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $2,441 per month in Chungju vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Chungju $2,441
  • Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $3,411 per month in Chungju vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Chungju $3,411
  • Medellin $3,249

Chungju is about 13% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chungju and Medellin sit above the global median – Chungju by 9%, Medellin by 25%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.65 ₩10.3K
$8.34 COP 26.9K
-8.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.57 ₩65.1K
$46.53 COP 150.1K
4.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.49 ₩8,706
$9.47 COP 30.5K
-31.47%
Cappuccino
$3.71 ₩4,977
$3.13 COP 10.1K
18.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 ₩2,470
$1.77 COP 5,696
3.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 ₩1,849
$1.42 COP 4,594
-2.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.74 ₩5,014
$3.15 COP 10.2K
18.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.16 ₩5,582
$5.70 COP 18.4K
-27.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 ₩3,056
$1.53 COP 4,943
49.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.94 ₩3,948
$2.29 COP 7,389
28.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.12 ₩4,186
$1.94 COP 6,273
60.82%
Eggs
$2.70 ₩3,623
$3.07 COP 9,889
-12.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.06 ₩14.8K
$9.99 COP 32.2K
10.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.22 ₩9,680
$10.45 COP 33.7K
-30.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.09 ₩33.6K
$13.96 COP 45.0K
79.73%
Apples (1kg)
$9.09 ₩12.2K
$4.05 COP 13.1K
124.44%
Banana (1kg)
$3.64 ₩4,877
$1.53 COP 4,929
137.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.21 ₩11.0K
$2.10 COP 6,786
290.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.04 ₩8,095
$2.29 COP 7,397
163.76%
Potato (1kg)
$6.06 ₩8,120
$2.11 COP 6,803
187.20%
Onion (1kg)
$3.21 ₩4,308
$1.71 COP 5,512
87.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 ₩3,824
$1.17 COP 3,774
143.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₩1,769
$1.58 COP 5,096
-16.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.25 ₩4,356
$3.91 COP 12.6K
-16.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.65 ₩25.0K
$14.04 COP 45.3K
32.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₩3,251
$1.76 COP 5,682
37.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 ₩3,903
$2.71 COP 8,746
7.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.13 ₩1,509
$1.18 COP 3,805
-4.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$76.3 COP 246.0K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 ₩4,729
$1.81 COP 5,827
95.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.68 ₩909
$2.13 COP 6,867
-68.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.61 ₩19.6K
$8.13 COP 26.2K
79.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₩1,870
$1.28 COP 4,113
8.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.8K ₩53.4M
$34.4K COP 111.1M
15.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K ₩44.5M
$34.1K COP 110.1M
-2.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$199 ₩267.3K
$178 COP 573.2K
12.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.32 ₩35.3K
$13.89 COP 44.8K
89.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.05 ₩36.3K
$30.74 COP 99.1K
-12.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.9 ₩72.2K
$41.94 COP 135.3K
28.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.85 ₩21.2K
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-5.65%
Cinema Ticket
$11.77 ₩15.8K
$7.47 COP 24.1K
57.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 ₩841.7K
$790 COP 2.5M
-20.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K ₩28.8M
$12.3K COP 39.7M
74.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.9 ₩97.6K
$86.3 COP 278.4K
-15.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.90 ₩50.8K
$59.3 COP 191.1K
-36.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.6 ₩98.6K
$138 COP 446.2K
-46.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 ₩151.9K
$98.8 COP 318.7K
14.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$438 ₩587.0K
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-67.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 ₩501.0K
$667 COP 2.2M
-43.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,424 ₩1.9M
$1,976 COP 6.4M
-27.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,002 ₩1.3M
$1,033 COP 3.3M
-2.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,880 ₩9.2M
$4,098 COP 13.2M
67.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,119 ₩8.2M
$1,940 COP 6.3M
215.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chungju
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,696 ₩2.3M
$646 COP 2.1M
162.46%
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 Chungju: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Chungju
$457
Medellin
$307 32.8% $150
Accommodation & Living
Chungju
$374
Medellin
$667 78.5% $293
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chungju
$253
Medellin
$222 12% $30
Eating Out
Chungju
$165
Medellin
$173 4.5% $7.5
Clothing & Footwear
Chungju
$134
Medellin
$172 28.6% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Chungju
$77
Medellin
$57 26.5% $21
Getting Around
Chungju
$11 *
Medellin
$93 718% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Chungju versus $1,341 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 in Chungju are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $49 in Chungju versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Chungju
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
17:44 5:44 PM
03:44 3:44 AM
14 h behind Chungju
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
208,529
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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chungju Medellin 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chungju
  • 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
Chungju vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chungju or Medellin?
Medellin costs about 15% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chungju and in Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,208 per month in Chungju and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chungju or Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chungju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $438 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
How much does it cost to live in Chungju compared to Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,472 in Chungju and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Chungju about 13% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Chungju and in Medellin?
Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Chungju and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chungju or in Medellin?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,472 in Chungju and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Chungju – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Chungju vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?