Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hue and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hue: $491 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Hue
Learn more

Hue Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Hue

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$491

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $491 per month in Hue vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Hue $491
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $857 per month in Hue vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Hue $857
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,224 per month in Hue vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Hue $1,224
Medellin $3,199

Hue is about 70% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hue sits 64% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-86.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.41 ₫295.3K

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-75.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.45 ₫89.4K

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-62.66%

Cappuccino

$1.07 ₫27.7K

$3.05 COP 9,676

-64.92%

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

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$1.80 COP 5,707

-67.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,259

$1.38 COP 4,382

-76.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ₫20.2K

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-75.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-78.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 ₫34.7K

$1.50 COP 4,760

-10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$2.37 COP 7,508

-66.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₫21.3K

$1.70 COP 5,377

-51.76%

Eggs

$1.48 ₫38.4K

$2.96 COP 9,379

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 ₫332.8K

$10.22 COP 32.4K

25.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.18 ₫108.3K

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-57.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.57 ₫247.9K

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-31.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₫63.7K

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-40.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$1.53 COP 4,839

-30.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.8K

$2.22 COP 7,052

-42.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 ₫17.9K

$2.27 COP 7,194

-69.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$1.99 COP 6,311

-50.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ₫30.1K

$1.67 COP 5,285

-30.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$1.18 COP 3,742

-49.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₫10.5K

$1.24 COP 3,919

-67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.30 ₫33.7K

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-66.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 ₫200.3K

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-43.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₫19.2K

$1.66 COP 5,256

-55.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$2.40 COP 7,615

-44.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₫8,566

$1.24 COP 3,944

-73.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.26 ₫188.1K

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-90.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 ₫11.6K

$1.28 COP 4,044

-64.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$2.15 COP 6,803

-74.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₫64.0K

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-70.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.7K

$1.35 COP 4,288

-32.59%

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

$31.1K ₫804.2M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-10.64%

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

$27.6K ₫713.4M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-20.56%

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

$38.32 ₫992.1K

$167 COP 528.4K

-77.01%

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

$6.39 ₫165.5K

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-53.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.77 ₫201.3K

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-73.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.39 ₫1.0M

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-12.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.75 ₫200.6K

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-54.89%

Cinema Ticket

$3.43 ₫88.7K

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-50.79%

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

$164 ₫4.2M

$790 COP 2.5M

-79.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,008 ₫233.2M

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-0.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.36 ₫811.9K

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-64.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 ₫483.1K

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-67.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.33 ₫1.0M

$139 COP 440.7K

-71.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.55 ₫998.1K

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-61.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ₫3.5M

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-87.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₫2.6M

$620 COP 2.0M

-83.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 ₫13.4M

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-72.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 ₫9.1M

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-64.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,511 ₫39.1M

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-62.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,147 ₫29.7M

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-32.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$291 ₫7.5M

$663 COP 2.1M

-56.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

10.94

-37.20%

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

Last update for Hue: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hue

$180 36.7%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 65.2% $118

Accommodation & Living

Hue

$101 20.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 516% $519

Clothing & Footwear

Hue

$58 11.7%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 200% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hue

$52 10.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 299% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Hue

$46 9.4%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 27.7% $13

Eating Out

Hue

$42 8.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 304% $129

Getting Around

Hue

$12 2.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 707% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Hue versus $1,028 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 128% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Hue versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $298 – making Hue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hue

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

07:30 7:30 AM

12 h behind Hue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,166,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hue Medellin 17,460 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Hue
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

Hue vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 231%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $737 per month in Hue and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hue, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 977% less in Hue. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Hue and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hue, where all-in costs run around $491, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Hue it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hue. 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.