Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hai Phong and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $700 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hai Phong, Vietnam
Medellin, Colombia
Hai Phong
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$700
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $700 in Hai Phong versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Hai Phong $700
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,184 in Hai Phong versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Hai Phong $1,184
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,669 in Hai Phong versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Hai Phong $1,669
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Hai Phong costs roughly 57% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hai Phong is 49% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.53 ₫39.5K
$8.09 COP 25.4K
-81.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.32 ₫499.1K
$47.05 COP 148.0K
-58.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.30 ₫111.1K
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-54.74%
Cappuccino
$1.83 ₫47.2K
$3.01 COP 9,485
-39.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ₫13.4K
$1.80 COP 5,660
-71.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₫7,869
$1.41 COP 4,443
-78.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.76 ₫19.5K
$3.18 COP 9,990
-76.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₫39.7K
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-73.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 ₫39.7K
$1.51 COP 4,751
1.99%
White Bread (500g)
$0.48 ₫12.4K
$2.38 COP 7,480
-79.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.80 ₫20.8K
$1.77 COP 5,573
-54.80%
Eggs
$1.47 ₫38.1K
$2.89 COP 9,093
-49.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.49 ₫296.9K
$10.19 COP 32.1K
12.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.65 ₫94.2K
$9.87 COP 31.1K
-63.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.95 ₫257.0K
$13.99 COP 44.0K
-28.88%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 ₫79.7K
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-22.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 ₫27.1K
$1.55 COP 4,883
-32.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₫33.2K
$2.18 COP 6,867
-41.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 ₫28.3K
$2.18 COP 6,870
-49.54%
Potato (1kg)
$0.95 ₫24.5K
$1.96 COP 6,174
-51.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 ₫30.9K
$1.59 COP 5,000
-24.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.58 ₫15.1K
$1.15 COP 3,604
-49.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ₫14.1K
$1.24 COP 3,911
-55.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.21 ₫31.4K
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-69.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.39 ₫294.2K
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-16.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 ₫19.4K
$1.66 COP 5,221
-54.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₫42.2K
$2.26 COP 7,103
-27.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.39 ₫10.1K
$1.17 COP 3,674
-66.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.78 ₫149.3K
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-92.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.80 ₫20.6K
$1.27 COP 3,989
-37.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 ₫15.6K
$2.05 COP 6,442
-70.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.89 ₫48.9K
$8.55 COP 26.9K
-77.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.90 ₫23.3K
$1.35 COP 4,237
-33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K ₫789.5M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
-10.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.5K ₫737.2M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-17.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.44 ₫1.2M
$170 COP 533.7K
-73.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.17 ₫133.5K
$13.55 COP 42.6K
-61.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.79 ₫227.0K
$28.07 COP 88.3K
-68.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.20 ₫599.3K
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-46.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.53 ₫194.5K
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-56.20%
Cinema Ticket
$4.53 ₫117.0K
$6.91 COP 21.7K
-34.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$158 ₫4.1M
$797 COP 2.5M
-80.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,692 ₫121.2M
$9,112 COP 28.7M
-48.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.79 ₫1.2M
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-44.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.10 ₫545.1K
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-63.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.6 ₫2.2M
$135 COP 424.6K
-37.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.0 ₫2.0M
$97.9 COP 307.9K
-21.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$248 ₫6.4M
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-79.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$248 ₫6.4M
$642 COP 2.0M
-61.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,040 ₫26.9M
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-48.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$638 ₫16.5M
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-36.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,333 ₫34.4M
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-68.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$970 ₫25.1M
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-49.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hai Phong
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ₫12.7M
$657 COP 2.1M
-24.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7
10.94
-36.01%

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

Last update for Hai Phong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hai Phong
$248
Medellin
$642 159% $393
Groceries & Markets
Hai Phong
$188
Medellin
$297 57.9% $109
Clothing & Footwear
Hai Phong
$103
Medellin
$169 63.6% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Phong
$59
Medellin
$211 256% $152
Eating Out
Hai Phong
$57
Medellin
$170 197% $112
Sport & Entertainment
Hai Phong
$32
Medellin
$58 78.3% $25
Getting Around
Hai Phong
$11
Medellin
$94 738% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $248 in Hai Phong and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Hai Phong vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $297 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Hai Phong
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
08:23 8:23 AM
20:23 8:23 PM
12 h behind Hai Phong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,105,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hai Phong Medellin 16,990 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hai Phong
  • 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
Hai Phong vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Hai Phong and in Medellin?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $700 in Hai Phong and $1,639 in Medellin, so Hai Phong is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Hai Phong. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Hai Phong and in Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $248 in Hai Phong versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Hai Phong or Medellin?
All in, you’ll spend $700 per month in Hai Phong versus $1,639 in Medellin – Hai Phong is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Hai Phong and in Medellin?
A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 93% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $700 in Hai Phong versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hai Phong but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hai Phong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Hai Phong and Medellin?
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.
Where should expats move: Hai Phong or Medellin?
Expats usually find Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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