Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,054 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,054

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,054 in Hua-lien versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Hua-lien $1,054
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Hua-lien versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Hua-lien $1,788
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,522 in Hua-lien versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Hua-lien $2,522
Medellin $3,186

Living in Hua-lien costs roughly 36% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hua-lien is 23% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 NT$133

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-49.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.90 NT$910

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-40.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.13 NT$135

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-56.53%

Cappuccino

$2.62 NT$85.3

$3.01 COP 9,735

-12.96%

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

$0.93 NT$30.42

$1.80 COP 5,809

-48.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$17.23

$1.41 COP 4,561

-62.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NT$43.26

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-58.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NT$66.4

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-64.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.74 NT$89.2

$1.51 COP 4,876

81.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 NT$53.5

$2.38 COP 7,678

-31.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 NT$148

$1.77 COP 5,720

155.93%

Eggs

$1.93 NT$62.9

$2.89 COP 9,333

-33.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 NT$624

$10.19 COP 32.9K

87.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 NT$193

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-39.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 NT$831

$13.99 COP 45.2K

82.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 NT$87.0

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 NT$79.5

$1.55 COP 5,012

57.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 NT$104

$2.18 COP 7,048

46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$101

$2.18 COP 7,051

41.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 NT$74.7

$1.96 COP 6,337

16.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.5

$1.59 COP 5,132

47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NT$64.9

$1.15 COP 3,699

73.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 NT$31.42

$1.24 COP 4,014

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 NT$122

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.33 NT$402

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-9.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 NT$60.4

$1.66 COP 5,359

11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$2.26 COP 7,291

1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 NT$19.45

$1.17 COP 3,771

-48.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.87 NT$1,104

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-56.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 NT$100

$1.27 COP 4,094

141.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 NT$9.64

$2.05 COP 6,612

-85.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 NT$321

$8.55 COP 27.6K

15.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 NT$29.62

$1.35 COP 4,349

-32.59%

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

$35.5K NT$1.2M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

4.14%

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

$23.7K NT$772.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-31.68%

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

$99.3 NT$3,237

$170 COP 547.8K

-41.49%

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

$18.72 NT$610

$13.55 COP 43.8K

38.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.53 NT$409

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-55.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 NT$1,157

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$330

$6.91 COP 22.3K

46.45%

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

$729 NT$23.8K

$797 COP 2.6M

-8.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NT$527.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

77.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 NT$1,811

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-34.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 NT$1,129

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-40.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 NT$2,495

$135 COP 435.8K

-43.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,359

$97.9 COP 316.0K

5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 NT$13.6K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-65.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,268

$642 COP 2.1M

-60.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 NT$33.4K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-49.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NT$24.4K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-25.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,568 NT$246.7K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

81.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,914 NT$160.2K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

157.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,802 NT$91.4K

$657 COP 2.1M

326.41%

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 Hua-lien: 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

Hua-lien

$359 34.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 17.3% $62

Accommodation & Living

Hua-lien

$254 24.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 153% $388

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua-lien

$131 12.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 61.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Hua-lien

$121 11.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 39.2% $48

Eating Out

Hua-lien

$93 8.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 82.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Hua-lien

$56 5.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 3.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Hua-lien

$41 3.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 129% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $417 in Hua-lien and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays about 4.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28 in Hua-lien vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $359 vs $297, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

20:46 8:46 PM

13 h behind Hua-lien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,034

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 = 2.77 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hua-lien Medellin 16,170 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Hua-lien
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

Hua-lien vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Hua-lien is about 4.3 times higher, 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: $417 in Hua-lien versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $28 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hua-lien is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.