Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $917 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in Dalian versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Dalian $917
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,453 in Dalian versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Dalian $1,453
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,989 in Dalian versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Dalian $1,989
Medellin $3,186

Living in Dalian costs roughly 44% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dalian is 33% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.36

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-54.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.01 ¥166

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-46.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 ¥35.82

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-43.37%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.82

$3.01 COP 9,722

13.95%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.80 COP 5,801

-73.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.52

$1.41 COP 4,554

-83.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ¥6.57

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-68.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.05

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-73.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥10.91

$1.51 COP 4,869

8.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥9.95

$2.38 COP 7,667

-36.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$1.77 COP 5,712

-46.33%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.46

$2.89 COP 9,320

-45.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.12 ¥134

$10.19 COP 32.9K

97.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ¥23.32

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-64.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ¥85.2

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-8.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-67.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$1.55 COP 5,005

-29.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.08

$2.18 COP 7,039

-9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$2.18 COP 7,041

-59.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.96 COP 6,328

-54.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.58

$1.59 COP 5,125

-56.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$1.15 COP 3,694

13.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.24 COP 4,009

-49.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.46

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-3.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 ¥99.9

$13.68 COP 44.1K

9.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 ¥7.46

$1.66 COP 5,352

-32.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥12.36

$2.26 COP 7,281

-17.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.17 COP 3,766

-75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 ¥198

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-61.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.25

$1.27 COP 4,089

21.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.05 COP 6,603

-79.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 ¥28.23

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-50.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$1.35 COP 4,343

-5.93%

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

$19.2K ¥127.7K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-43.65%

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

$17.3K ¥115.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-50.01%

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

$66.0 ¥439

$170 COP 547.0K

-61.11%

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

$9.51 ¥63.3

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-29.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.65 ¥90.8

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-51.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 ¥269

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-7.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.60 ¥244

$17.19 COP 55.4K

112.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 ¥46.21

$6.91 COP 22.3K

0.43%

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

$403 ¥2,678

$797 COP 2.6M

-49.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

126.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 ¥505

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-10.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ¥372

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 ¥746

$135 COP 435.2K

-16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ¥808

$97.9 COP 315.6K

24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,703

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-66.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ¥1,583

$642 COP 2.1M

-62.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$701 ¥4,666

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-65.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥2,992

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-55.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,636 ¥17.5K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-36.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,644 ¥10.9K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-13.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,077 ¥7,168

$657 COP 2.1M

63.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

10.94

-64.44%

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

Last update for Dalian: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 24.2% $58

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$238 26%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 170% $404

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$164 17.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 2.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Dalian

$97 10.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 74.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$89 9.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 137% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 5.9% $3.2

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 171% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Dalian and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 64% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Dalian vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $297 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

09:40 9:40 AM

13 h behind Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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 November 1, 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 November 1, 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

Dalian Medellin 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

Dalian vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $917 in Dalian and $1,639 in Medellin, so Dalian is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Dalian, 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: $406 in Dalian versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $403 in Dalian versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $917 in Dalian versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.