Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $719 in Lanzhou versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Lanzhou $719
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,143 in Lanzhou versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Lanzhou $1,143
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,567 in Lanzhou versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Lanzhou $1,567
Medellin $3,190

Living in Lanzhou costs roughly 55% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lanzhou is 47% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ¥13.80

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-74.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.34 ¥189

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-38.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 ¥39.15

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-38.32%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥20.89

$3.11 COP 9,866

0.32%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.83 COP 5,800

-73.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.38 COP 4,360

-78.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$3.05 COP 9,672

-63.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-63.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$1.45 COP 4,600

22.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.36 COP 7,496

-31.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.68 COP 5,328

-42.86%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.72

$2.86 COP 9,077

-44.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 ¥88.4

$10.19 COP 32.3K

29.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.92

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-64.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ¥81.0

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-55.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$1.50 COP 4,742

-14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$2.17 COP 6,891

-31.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.31 COP 7,310

-46.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.93 COP 6,113

-63.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.64 COP 5,196

-43.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.13 COP 3,571

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$1.25 COP 3,954

-56.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.19

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-5.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.70 COP 5,384

-51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$2.37 COP 7,525

-35.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.21 COP 3,827

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-76.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$1.32 COP 4,179

12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$2.14 COP 6,774

-85.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 ¥47.58

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-15.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.73

$1.30 COP 4,114

12.31%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-37.36%

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

$15.0K ¥100.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-57.62%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$172 COP 545.6K

-66.29%

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

$8.79 ¥58.8

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-34.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-61.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.33 ¥283

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-6.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-13.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥42.06

$6.28 COP 19.9K

0.16%

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

$412 ¥2,756

$770 COP 2.4M

-46.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

95.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.85 ¥287

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-50.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 ¥224

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-41.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥505

$137 COP 432.9K

-44.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ¥495

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-72.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,126

$616 COP 2.0M

-72.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,186

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-66.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,986

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-70.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥17.9K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-34.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 ¥10.8K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-4.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$953 ¥6,375

$652 COP 2.1M

46.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-72.58%

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

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lanzhou

$209 29.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 40.8% $85

Accommodation & Living

Lanzhou

$168 23.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 266% $447

Clothing & Footwear

Lanzhou

$102 14.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 67.3% $68

Eating Out

Lanzhou

$84 11.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 100% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lanzhou

$78 10.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 175% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Lanzhou

$55 7.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 5.3% $2.9

Getting Around

Lanzhou

$22 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 318% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Lanzhou and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lanzhou pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28.00 in Lanzhou vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $295 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

02:39 2:39 AM

13 h behind Lanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,688,400

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 20, 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 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lanzhou Medellin 15,310 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Lanzhou
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

Lanzhou vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 125% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Lanzhou, 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: $295 in Lanzhou versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $412 in Lanzhou versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lanzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.