Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Dongguan versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Dongguan $815
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,295 in Dongguan versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Dongguan $1,295
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,775 in Dongguan versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Dongguan $1,775
Medellin $3,199

Living in Dongguan costs roughly 50% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dongguan is 40% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.64

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-68.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-51.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.75

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-43.72%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ¥17.44

$3.05 COP 9,676

-14.43%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.80 COP 5,707

-73.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.38 COP 4,382

-77.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-72.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-59.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.50 COP 4,760

6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.93

$2.37 COP 7,508

-31.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.70 COP 5,377

-42.94%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$2.96 COP 9,379

-46.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.14 ¥141

$10.22 COP 32.4K

106.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ¥21.96

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-66.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 ¥95.4

$13.90 COP 44.1K

2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.03

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-45.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$1.53 COP 4,839

1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.39

$2.22 COP 7,052

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.98

$2.27 COP 7,194

-34.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$1.99 COP 6,311

-47.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.67 COP 5,285

-25.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$1.18 COP 3,742

-52.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$1.24 COP 3,919

-53.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ¥29.79

$3.87 COP 12.3K

14.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 ¥81.5

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-11.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.66 COP 5,256

-44.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$2.40 COP 7,615

-26.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$1.24 COP 3,944

-71.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-71.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.86

$1.28 COP 4,044

-7.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$2.15 COP 6,803

-80.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 ¥29.68

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-46.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$1.35 COP 4,288

-2.96%

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

$19.3K ¥129.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-44.48%

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

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-49.14%

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

$63.1 ¥422

$167 COP 528.4K

-62.17%

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

$9.11 ¥60.9

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-33.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.96 ¥86.7

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-55.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥345

$45.09 COP 143.0K

14.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 ¥108

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-6.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ¥50.3

$6.97 COP 22.1K

8.03%

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

$531 ¥3,550

$790 COP 2.5M

-32.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.8K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

169.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.78 ¥313

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-46.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.30 ¥269

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-30.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$139 COP 440.7K

-47.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.04 ¥261

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-60.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,538

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-63.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 ¥1,461

$620 COP 2.0M

-64.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,423

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-64.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,884

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-57.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,650 ¥37.8K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

41.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,075 ¥20.6K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

80.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$856 ¥5,725

$663 COP 2.1M

29.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

10.94

-69.38%

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$248 30.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 20.2% $50

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$219 26.8%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 184% $401

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$89 11%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 93.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$85 10.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 146% $124

Eating Out

Dongguan

$80 9.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 114% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$67 8.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 11.5% $7.7

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 252% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $380 in Dongguan and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dongguan pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Dongguan vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $298 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

07:32 7:32 AM

13 h behind Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

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 = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Dongguan Medellin 16,600 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

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Dongguan
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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

Dongguan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 99% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Dongguan, 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: $380 in Dongguan versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 249% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $531 in Dongguan versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dongguan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.