Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Datong and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $713 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Datong
Learn more

Datong Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Datong

🇨🇳 China

$713

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $713 in Datong versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Datong $713
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,133 in Datong versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Datong $1,133
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,553 in Datong versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Datong $1,553
Medellin $3,249

Living in Datong costs roughly 58% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Datong is 47% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 ¥18.30

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-67.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.93 ¥146

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-52.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 ¥31.95

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-49.42%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ¥20.58

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-1.28%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.77 COP 5,696

-75.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$1.42 COP 4,594

-79.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥5.97

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ¥13.64

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-64.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.03

$1.53 COP 4,943

17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$2.29 COP 7,389

-32.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.50

$1.94 COP 6,273

-49.48%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.38

$3.07 COP 9,889

-49.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 ¥85.7

$9.99 COP 32.2K

28.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 ¥21.51

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-69.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.3

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-27.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.59

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-53.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.09

$1.53 COP 4,929

-20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.30

$2.10 COP 6,786

-26.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.64

$2.29 COP 7,397

-49.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.03

$2.11 COP 6,803

-64.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$1.71 COP 5,512

-47.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$1.17 COP 3,774

-52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$1.58 COP 5,096

-65.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ¥20.63

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-20.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 ¥71.3

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-23.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.76 COP 5,682

-55.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.56

$2.71 COP 8,746

-41.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$1.18 COP 3,805

-75.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.04 ¥114

$76.3 COP 246.0K

-77.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.16

$1.81 COP 5,827

-24.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$2.13 COP 6,867

-83.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 ¥45.21

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-16.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.28 COP 4,113

-7.81%

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

$19.1K ¥127.0K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-44.66%

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

$17.1K ¥114.0K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-49.86%

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

$44.32 ¥295

$178 COP 573.2K

-75.06%

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

$9.82 ¥65.4

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-29.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.70 ¥78.0

$30.74 COP 99.1K

-61.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.16 ¥281

$41.94 COP 135.3K

0.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.77 ¥91.7

$16.80 COP 54.2K

-18.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥39.89

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-19.81%

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

$338 ¥2,252

$790 COP 2.5M

-57.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.8K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

37.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.48 ¥296

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-48.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.37 ¥202

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-48.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ¥476

$138 COP 446.2K

-48.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ¥475

$98.8 COP 318.7K

-27.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,836

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-79.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,271

$667 COP 2.2M

-71.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 ¥4,018

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-69.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ¥2,398

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-65.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,037 ¥20.2K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-25.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,026 ¥13.5K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

4.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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 Datong: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Datong

$199 27.8%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 54.8% $109

Accommodation & Living

Datong

$191 26.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 250% $476

Clothing & Footwear

Datong

$98 13.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 75.9% $74

Eating Out

Datong

$85 11.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 103% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Datong

$66 9.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 238% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Datong

$54 7.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 5.1% $2.8

Getting Around

Datong

$21 3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 337% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $276 in Datong and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Datong vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $307 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Datong

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

21:12 9:12 PM

13 h behind Datong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,318,057

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Datong Medellin 14,780 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Datong
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

Datong vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,070 in Datong and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $276 in Datong versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $338 in Datong versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in Datong versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Datong 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 Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.