Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guiyang and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guiyang: $716 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Guiyang
Learn more

Guiyang Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Guiyang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $716 per month in Guiyang vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Guiyang $716
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,134 per month in Guiyang vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Guiyang $1,134
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,553 per month in Guiyang vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Guiyang $1,553
Medellin $3,190

Guiyang is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Guiyang sits 47% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 ¥18.97

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-64.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.82 ¥146

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-52.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ¥31.98

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-49.68%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.73

$3.11 COP 9,866

-5.14%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.83 COP 5,800

-75.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$1.38 COP 4,360

-78.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$3.05 COP 9,672

-70.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥13.86

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-62.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$1.45 COP 4,600

24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$2.36 COP 7,496

-33.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.48

$1.68 COP 5,328

-42.26%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.65

$2.86 COP 9,077

-44.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 ¥84.4

$10.19 COP 32.3K

23.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ¥21.93

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-65.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 ¥67.3

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-28.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-55.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$1.50 COP 4,742

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$2.17 COP 6,891

-31.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$2.31 COP 7,310

-51.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$1.93 COP 6,113

-64.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.06

$1.64 COP 5,196

-44.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$1.13 COP 3,571

-50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.48

$1.25 COP 3,954

-58.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.13

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-20.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-22.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$1.70 COP 5,384

-52.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.90

$2.37 COP 7,525

-31.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$1.21 COP 3,827

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-77.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.03

$1.32 COP 4,179

2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$2.14 COP 6,774

-83.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.60 ¥44.10

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-22.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.30 COP 4,114

-9.23%

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

$19.2K ¥128.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-31.55%

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

$17.1K ¥114.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-51.60%

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

$45.97 ¥307

$172 COP 545.6K

-73.29%

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

$9.69 ¥64.8

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-27.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.79 ¥78.8

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-58.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.04 ¥274

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-9.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.92 ¥93.1

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-18.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.65

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-3.18%

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

$331 ¥2,211

$770 COP 2.4M

-57.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

85.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.28 ¥296

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-48.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.65 ¥205

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-46.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$137 COP 432.9K

-47.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 ¥473

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-27.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,862

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-73.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ¥1,307

$616 COP 2.0M

-68.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥3,888

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-69.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ¥2,451

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-64.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,040 ¥20.3K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-25.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 ¥13.5K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

20.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 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 Guiyang: 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

Guiyang

$197 27.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 49.9% $98

Accommodation & Living

Guiyang

$195 27.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 215% $420

Clothing & Footwear

Guiyang

$98 13.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 73.7% $72

Eating Out

Guiyang

$84 11.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 100% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guiyang

$67 9.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 218% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Guiyang

$53 7.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 8.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Guiyang

$21 3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 339% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Guiyang 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Guiyang versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $295 – making Guiyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guiyang

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

23:27 11:27 PM

13 h behind Guiyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,324,561

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guiyang Medellin 16,350 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Guiyang
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

Guiyang vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $716 in Guiyang, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 126% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,074 per month in Guiyang 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 Guiyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $331 per month in Guiyang and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guiyang, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Guiyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $716 in Guiyang to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Guiyang. 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.