Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daejeon and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Daejeon: $1,344 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
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Daejeon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,344

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,344 per month in Daejeon vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Daejeon $1,344
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,104 per month in Daejeon vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Daejeon $2,104
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,865 per month in Daejeon vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Daejeon $2,865
Medellin $3,190

Daejeon is about 17% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Daejeon and Medellin sit above the global median – Daejeon by 0%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.28 ₩9,678

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-8.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.77 ₩48.9K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-20.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 ₩7,412

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-41.37%

Cappuccino

$3.60 ₩4,784

$3.11 COP 9,866

15.76%

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

$1.22 ₩1,622

$1.83 COP 5,800

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₩859

$1.38 COP 4,360

-52.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 ₩4,659

$3.05 COP 9,672

14.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ₩4,917

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₩2,900

$1.45 COP 4,600

50.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 ₩3,542

$2.36 COP 7,496

12.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 ₩3,514

$1.68 COP 5,328

57.14%

Eggs

$2.55 ₩3,385

$2.86 COP 9,077

-10.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 ₩14.5K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

7.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 ₩11.0K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-13.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.43 ₩27.2K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

45.51%

Apples (1kg)

$11.12 ₩14.8K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

173.22%

Banana (1kg)

$5.49 ₩7,300

$1.50 COP 4,742

266.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,732

$2.17 COP 6,891

167.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.07 ₩8,072

$2.31 COP 7,310

162.77%

Potato (1kg)

$5.34 ₩7,102

$1.93 COP 6,113

176.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 ₩3,744

$1.64 COP 5,196

71.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ₩2,273

$1.13 COP 3,571

51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,510

$1.25 COP 3,954

-8.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,426

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-16.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 ₩25.1K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

41.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₩3,393

$1.70 COP 5,384

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₩4,712

$2.37 COP 7,525

49.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,456

$1.21 COP 3,827

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.09 ₩14.7K

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-85.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 ₩4,398

$1.32 COP 4,179

150.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 ₩950

$2.14 COP 6,774

-66.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.82 ₩22.4K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

98.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₩1,638

$1.30 COP 4,114

-5.38%

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

$28.5K ₩37.8M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

1.66%

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

$23.7K ₩31.6M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-32.97%

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

$172 ₩228.4K

$172 COP 545.6K

-0.17%

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

$42.96 ₩57.1K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

221.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 ₩29.5K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-22.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.10 ₩44.0K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

80.10%

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

$304 ₩403.8K

$770 COP 2.4M

-60.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.1M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

143.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 ₩85.8K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-25.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 ₩55.7K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-26.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 ₩122.8K

$137 COP 432.9K

-32.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₩142.0K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₩490.2K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-65.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ₩391.3K

$616 COP 2.0M

-52.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 ₩1.4M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₩788.5K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-42.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,547 ₩7.4M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

36.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,546 ₩6.0M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

170.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,336 ₩3.1M

$652 COP 2.1M

258.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

10.94

-66.64%

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

Last update for Daejeon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Daejeon

$446 33.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 34% $152

Accommodation & Living

Daejeon

$294 21.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 109% $322

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daejeon

$237 17.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 9.6% $23

Eating Out

Daejeon

$151 11.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 11.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Daejeon

$138 10.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 23.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Daejeon

$56 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 3.8% $2.1

Getting Around

Daejeon

$22 1.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 318% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $369 in Daejeon versus $1,055 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 258% higher in Daejeon, 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 $37.00 in Daejeon versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $446 in Daejeon vs $295 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

23:19 11:19 PM

14 h behind Daejeon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,324

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Daejeon Medellin 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Daejeon
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

Daejeon vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 20% more than Daejeon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,016 per month in Daejeon and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daejeon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,344 in Daejeon and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 590% less in Daejeon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Daejeon, where all-in costs run around $1,344, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Daejeon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Daejeon costs $1,344 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Daejeon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.