Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Hefei versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Hefei $768
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Hefei versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Hefei $1,225
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,681 in Hefei versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Hefei $1,681
Medellin $3,199

Living in Hefei costs roughly 53% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hefei is 43% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.28

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-68.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.44 ¥150

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-52.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-52.81%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ¥18.39

$3.05 COP 9,676

-9.84%

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

$0.49 ¥3.26

$1.80 COP 5,707

-72.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.38 COP 4,382

-80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-67.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥13.35

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-64.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.50 COP 4,760

8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$2.37 COP 7,508

-13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$1.70 COP 5,377

-52.35%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥12.84

$2.96 COP 9,379

-35.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$10.22 COP 32.4K

37.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ¥32.76

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-49.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.3

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-16.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.45

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-44.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.53 COP 4,839

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$2.22 COP 7,052

-26.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.79

$2.27 COP 7,194

-29.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.37

$1.99 COP 6,311

-59.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$1.67 COP 5,285

-43.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$1.18 COP 3,742

-33.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.24 COP 3,919

-43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ¥20.59

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-20.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ¥81.3

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.66 COP 5,256

-43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥13.28

$2.40 COP 7,615

-17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.24 COP 3,944

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.22 ¥302

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-42.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.28 COP 4,044

-3.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$2.15 COP 6,803

-84.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ¥23.48

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-58.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.91

$1.35 COP 4,288

-1.48%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-45.27%

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

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-51.30%

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

$48.54 ¥325

$167 COP 528.4K

-70.87%

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

$9.54 ¥63.8

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-29.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-58.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ¥105

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-65.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 ¥102

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-10.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.85

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-8.03%

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

$236 ¥1,581

$790 COP 2.5M

-70.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,656 ¥57.9K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-4.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 ¥600

$87.8 COP 278.4K

2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ¥219

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-43.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.7 ¥419

$139 COP 440.7K

-54.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 ¥648

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥1,609

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-76.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,197

$620 COP 2.0M

-71.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ¥3,558

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-71.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,270

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-66.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,573 ¥23.9K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-10.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 ¥13.2K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

16.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ¥6,763

$663 COP 2.1M

52.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

10.94

-71.21%

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

Last update for Hefei: 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

Hefei

$235 30.6%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 27% $63

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$179 23.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 246% $441

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$127 16.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 36.1% $46

Eating Out

Hefei

$79 10.3%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 116% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.1%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 199% $139

Getting Around

Hefei

$49 6.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 92.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$28 3.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 107% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Hefei and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Hefei vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $298 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

04:01 4:01 AM

13 h behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

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 24, 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 24, 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

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Between locations

Hefei Medellin 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

Hefei vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 112% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Hefei, 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: $241 in Hefei versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $768 per month in Hefei versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hefei delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hefei hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.