Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeonju and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeonju: $1,149 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jeonju, South Korea
Medellin, Colombia
Jeonju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,149
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,149 in Jeonju versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Jeonju $1,149
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Jeonju versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Jeonju $1,796
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,443 in Jeonju versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Jeonju $2,443
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Jeonju costs roughly 30% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jeonju is 16% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.48 ₩9,930
$8.09 COP 25.4K
-7.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.90 ₩30.4K
$47.05 COP 148.0K
-51.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 ₩7,201
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-42.84%
Cappuccino
$3.81 ₩5,052
$3.01 COP 9,485
26.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 ₩1,485
$1.80 COP 5,660
-37.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 ₩814
$1.41 COP 4,443
-56.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.85 ₩3,781
$3.18 COP 9,990
-10.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.16 ₩5,524
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-27.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.15 ₩2,851
$1.51 COP 4,751
42.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 ₩3,058
$2.38 COP 7,480
-3.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.12 ₩4,136
$1.77 COP 5,573
76.27%
Eggs
$2.30 ₩3,054
$2.89 COP 9,093
-20.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.99 ₩14.6K
$10.19 COP 32.1K
7.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.53 ₩14.0K
$9.87 COP 31.1K
6.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.57 ₩33.9K
$13.99 COP 44.0K
82.77%
Apples (1kg)
$11.45 ₩15.2K
$3.97 COP 12.5K
188.41%
Banana (1kg)
$3.33 ₩4,419
$1.55 COP 4,883
114.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.37 ₩11.1K
$2.18 COP 6,867
283.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.61 ₩6,123
$2.18 COP 6,870
111.47%
Potato (1kg)
$6.20 ₩8,220
$1.96 COP 6,174
216.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 ₩3,039
$1.59 COP 5,000
44.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.91 ₩3,861
$1.15 COP 3,604
153.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₩1,019
$1.24 COP 3,911
-37.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.47 ₩4,607
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-12.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.83 ₩25.0K
$13.68 COP 43.0K
37.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 ₩1,974
$1.66 COP 5,222
-10.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51 ₩4,654
$2.26 COP 7,104
55.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.22 ₩1,615
$1.17 COP 3,674
4.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.32 ₩4,407
$1.27 COP 3,989
161.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 ₩1,010
$2.05 COP 6,442
-62.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.74 ₩22.2K
$8.55 COP 26.9K
95.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ₩1,612
$1.35 COP 4,237
-10.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.1K ₩51.9M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
14.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₩46.0M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-0.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.0 ₩95.5K
$170 COP 533.7K
-57.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.65 ₩40.7K
$13.55 COP 42.6K
126.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.49 ₩36.5K
$28.07 COP 88.3K
-2.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.98 ₩15.9K
$6.91 COP 21.7K
73.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$638 ₩846.6K
$797 COP 2.5M
-19.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.0K ₩29.2M
$9,112 COP 28.7M
141.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 ₩138.7K
$84.7 COP 266.5K
23.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.9 ₩86.1K
$58.0 COP 182.3K
12.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.53 ₩59.1K
$135 COP 424.6K
-67.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$37.95 ₩50.4K
$97.9 COP 307.9K
-61.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$266 ₩352.3K
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-78.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$259 ₩344.3K
$642 COP 2.0M
-59.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ₩609.8K
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-54.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jeonju
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,295 ₩3.0M
$657 COP 2.1M
249.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
10.94
-61.43%

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

Last update for Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Jeonju
$458
Medellin
$297 35.2% $161
Accommodation & Living
Jeonju
$259
Medellin
$642 147% $382
Eating Out
Jeonju
$151
Medellin
$170 12.1% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jeonju
$130
Medellin
$211 62.3% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Jeonju
$113
Medellin
$169 49% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Jeonju
$24 *
Medellin
$58 140% $34
Getting Around
Jeonju
$12 *
Medellin
$94 680% $82

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $266 in Jeonju and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeonju pays about 3.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Jeonju vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $297, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Jeonju
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
20:07 8:07 PM
06:07 6:07 AM
14 h behind Jeonju
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
653,387
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jeonju Medellin 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jeonju
  • 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
Jeonju vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jeonju cheaper than Medellin?
Jeonju is cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Jeonju or Medellin?
Average pay in Jeonju is about 3.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Jeonju and Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $266 in Jeonju versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $638 in Jeonju versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Jeonju or in Medellin?
Dining out is cheaper in Jeonju – a meal for two runs $23 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Jeonju or in Medellin?
At $1,149 in Jeonju versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jeonju but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jeonju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Jeonju or in Medellin?
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.

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