Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hsinchu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hsinchu: $1,140 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Hsinchu
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Hsinchu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,140

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,140 per month in Hsinchu vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Hsinchu $1,140
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Hsinchu vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Hsinchu $1,917
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,693 per month in Hsinchu vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Hsinchu $2,693
Medellin $3,186

Hsinchu is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hsinchu sits 16% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 NT$120

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-54.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.83 NT$907

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-40.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 NT$155

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-50.00%

Cappuccino

$2.99 NT$97.3

$3.01 COP 9,722

-0.66%

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

$0.90 NT$29.37

$1.80 COP 5,801

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.37

$1.41 COP 4,554

-53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 NT$61.7

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-40.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NT$73.1

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-61.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.75 NT$89.7

$1.51 COP 4,869

82.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 NT$52.9

$2.38 COP 7,667

-31.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 NT$142

$1.77 COP 5,712

145.76%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$90.1

$2.89 COP 9,320

-4.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$35.37 NT$1,153

$10.19 COP 32.9K

247.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 NT$226

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-29.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.54 NT$670

$13.99 COP 45.1K

46.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 NT$84.7

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-34.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 NT$79.2

$1.55 COP 5,005

56.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NT$106

$2.18 COP 7,039

48.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$2.18 COP 7,041

42.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 NT$76.9

$1.96 COP 6,328

20.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 NT$75.4

$1.59 COP 5,125

45.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 NT$63.9

$1.15 COP 3,694

70.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$44.32

$1.24 COP 4,009

9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 NT$127

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 NT$394

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-11.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 NT$61.4

$1.66 COP 5,352

13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.6

$2.26 COP 7,281

1.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 NT$16.76

$1.17 COP 3,766

-56.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.54 NT$1,257

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-50.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 NT$97.6

$1.27 COP 4,089

135.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 NT$9.64

$2.05 COP 6,603

-85.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.82 NT$320

$8.55 COP 27.6K

14.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.98

$1.35 COP 4,343

-25.19%

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

$34.7K NT$1.1M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

1.93%

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

$23.6K NT$769.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-31.97%

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

$102 NT$3,315

$170 COP 547.0K

-40.06%

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

$19.11 NT$623

$13.55 COP 43.7K

41.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 NT$674

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-26.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 NT$1,664

$43.70 COP 140.9K

16.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.28 NT$335

$6.91 COP 22.3K

48.77%

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

$735 NT$24.0K

$797 COP 2.6M

-7.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$531.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

78.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 NT$1,829

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-33.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 NT$1,140

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-39.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 NT$2,467

$135 COP 435.2K

-43.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,352

$97.9 COP 315.6K

5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 NT$13.6K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-65.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 NT$8,377

$642 COP 2.1M

-59.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 NT$35.9K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-45.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 NT$24.7K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-25.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,930 NT$226.0K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

66.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,621 NT$150.7K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

141.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,398 NT$78.2K

$657 COP 2.1M

264.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

10.94

-80.53%

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

Last update for Hsinchu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hsinchu

$405 35.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 26.6% $108

Accommodation & Living

Hsinchu

$257 22.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 150% $385

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hsinchu

$141 12.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 49.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Hsinchu

$121 10.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 39.3% $48

Eating Out

Hsinchu

$100 8.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 70.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Hsinchu

$72 6.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 19.6% $14

Getting Around

Hsinchu

$45 4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 108% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Hsinchu 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 Hsinchu are about 3.6 times higher, 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 $28 in Hsinchu versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $405 in Hsinchu vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hsinchu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

19:06 7:06 PM

13 h behind Hsinchu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

453,120

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hsinchu Medellin 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Hsinchu
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

Hsinchu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 44% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,711 per month in Hsinchu 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 Hsinchu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Hsinchu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $735 per month in Hsinchu and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,140 in Hsinchu and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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