Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hangzhou: $1,020 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,020
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,566 per month in Hangzhou vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,566
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,112 per month in Hangzhou vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,112
Medellin $3,190

Hangzhou is about 37% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hangzhou sits 24% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 ¥25.19

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-52.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.72 ¥172

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-44.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.29

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-52.21%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥22.35

$3.11 COP 9,866

7.72%

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

$0.59 ¥3.97

$1.83 COP 5,800

-67.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$1.38 COP 4,360

-76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$3.05 COP 9,672

-61.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.73

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-59.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.42

$1.45 COP 4,600

28.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.59

$2.36 COP 7,496

-32.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 ¥7.49

$1.68 COP 5,328

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥13.40

$2.86 COP 9,077

-29.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.92 ¥126

$10.19 COP 32.3K

85.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ¥25.22

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-60.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 ¥66.8

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-28.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.21

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-43.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.42

$1.50 COP 4,742

-6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$2.17 COP 6,891

-29.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$2.31 COP 7,310

-32.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.93 COP 6,113

-53.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.56

$1.64 COP 5,196

-40.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$1.13 COP 3,571

-40.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.25 COP 3,954

-56.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 ¥27.36

$3.99 COP 12.6K

2.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 ¥88.8

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.21

$1.70 COP 5,384

-54.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$2.37 COP 7,525

-30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$1.21 COP 3,827

-47.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.61 ¥118

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-76.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.32 COP 4,179

44.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$2.14 COP 6,774

-82.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.58

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-14.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.75

$1.30 COP 4,114

0.77%

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

$19.3K ¥129.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-30.97%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-48.26%

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

$47.44 ¥317

$172 COP 545.6K

-72.43%

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

$10.05 ¥67.1

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-24.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.50 ¥96.9

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-49.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥344

$45.24 COP 143.5K

13.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 ¥131

$17.04 COP 54.0K

15.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 ¥48.87

$6.28 COP 19.9K

16.56%

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

$568 ¥3,796

$770 COP 2.4M

-26.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K ¥241.8K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

301.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ¥398

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-31.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 ¥276

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 ¥575

$137 COP 432.9K

-36.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥727

$97.9 COP 310.4K

11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,177

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-40.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,624

$616 COP 2.0M

-36.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,049

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,484

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-34.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,023 ¥53.6K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

97.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,742 ¥25.0K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

122.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,557 ¥10.4K

$652 COP 2.1M

138.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

10.94

-68.01%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$393 38.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 56.7% $223

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$234 22.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 26% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$133 13.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 27.7% $37

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$98 9.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 71.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 198% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 12.6% $8.3

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 290% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Hangzhou 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.

Salaries run about 139% higher in Hangzhou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $295 – making Hangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

13 h behind Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Hangzhou Medellin 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
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

Hangzhou vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,530 per month in Hangzhou 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 Hangzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hangzhou, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Hangzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hangzhou – 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 Hangzhou. 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.