Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha Long and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long: $779 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long
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Ha Long Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ha Long

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$779

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $779 per month in Ha Long vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ha Long $779
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,242 per month in Ha Long vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ha Long $1,242
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,705 per month in Ha Long vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ha Long $1,705
Medellin $3,186

Ha Long is about 52% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ha Long sits 43% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 ₫51.4K

$8.09 COP 25.6K

-75.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 ₫492.8K

$47.05 COP 148.9K

-59.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ₫113.7K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-53.68%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₫44.3K

$3.01 COP 9,540

-43.19%

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

$0.52 ₫13.4K

$1.80 COP 5,693

-71.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,881

$1.41 COP 4,469

-78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ₫22.3K

$3.18 COP 10.0K

-72.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ₫38.7K

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-73.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ₫38.7K

$1.51 COP 4,778

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₫27.7K

$2.38 COP 7,524

-55.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.77 COP 5,606

-41.81%

Eggs

$1.55 ₫40.1K

$2.89 COP 9,146

-46.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ₫310.8K

$10.19 COP 32.2K

17.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 ₫96.0K

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-62.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 ₫254.3K

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-29.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 ₫78.5K

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-23.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.55 COP 4,911

-31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$2.18 COP 6,907

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.7K

$2.18 COP 6,910

-43.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.6K

$1.96 COP 6,210

-49.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$1.59 COP 5,029

-31.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$1.15 COP 3,625

-46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$1.24 COP 3,934

-55.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.39 ₫35.9K

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-64.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.37 ₫293.9K

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-16.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₫23.0K

$1.66 COP 5,252

-46.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$2.26 COP 7,145

-26.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,882

$1.17 COP 3,696

-70.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.42 ₫166.0K

$77.4 COP 244.8K

-91.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.27 COP 4,013

-42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$2.05 COP 6,480

-70.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 ₫65.6K

$8.55 COP 27.1K

-70.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₫24.1K

$1.35 COP 4,262

-31.11%

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

$30.3K ₫782.7M

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-11.12%

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

$28.2K ₫729.9M

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-18.57%

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

$77.0 ₫2.0M

$170 COP 536.8K

-54.61%

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

$5.70 ₫147.2K

$13.55 COP 42.9K

-57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.93 ₫230.9K

$28.07 COP 88.8K

-68.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.86 ₫590.9K

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-47.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.58 ₫195.9K

$17.19 COP 54.4K

-55.90%

Cinema Ticket

$3.31 ₫85.5K

$6.91 COP 21.9K

-52.10%

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

$185 ₫4.8M

$797 COP 2.5M

-76.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ₫351.9M

$9,112 COP 28.8M

49.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.16 ₫1.2M

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-45.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.56 ₫686.6K

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-54.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.7 ₫2.1M

$135 COP 427.1K

-38.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.3 ₫2.0M

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 ₫10.6M

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-66.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 ₫7.3M

$642 COP 2.0M

-55.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₫21.1M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-59.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₫15.9M

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-39.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,231 ₫57.7M

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-46.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 ₫31.0M

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-37.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 ₫6.0M

$657 COP 2.1M

-64.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

10.94

-24.31%

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

Last update for Ha Long: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ha Long

$283 36.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 127% $359

Groceries & Markets

Ha Long

$198 25.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 50.1% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Ha Long

$106 13.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 60% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha Long

$92 11.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 131% $120

Eating Out

Ha Long

$60 7.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 182% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Ha Long

$29 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 95.2% $28

Getting Around

Ha Long

$12 1.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 710% $82

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Ha Long versus $1,208 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 in Medellin are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Ha Long versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $297 – making Ha Long the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ha Long

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

03:35 3:35 AM

12 h behind Ha Long

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,054

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,849 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ha Long Medellin 16,970 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ha Long
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

Ha Long vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $779 in Ha Long, $1,639 in Medellin – Ha Long comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,169 per month in Ha Long and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ha Long, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Ha Long and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ha Long, where all-in costs run around $779, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ha Long it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ha Long – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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