Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Andong

For one person, living is cheaper in Andong: $1,415 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Andong
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Andong Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Andong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Andong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Andong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,415 in Andong.

Medellin $1,692
Andong $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,294 in Andong.

Medellin $2,471
Andong $2,294

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,172 in Andong.

Medellin $3,249
Andong $3,172

Living in Medellin is roughly 20% more expensive than in Andong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Andong 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$6.11 ₩8,225

36.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$34.73 ₩46.7K

33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$6.66 ₩8,960

42.19%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.62 ₩4,871

-13.54%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$1.59 ₩2,143

11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$0.62 ₩829

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.55 ₩4,772

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.35 ₩5,858

31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$2.17 ₩2,922

-29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$3.11 ₩4,187

-26.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$2.64 ₩3,552

-26.52%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$3.34 ₩4,488

-8.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.35 ₩20.6K

-34.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$10.55 ₩14.2K

-0.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$11.31 ₩15.2K

23.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.79 ₩9,129

-40.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$2.41 ₩3,248

-36.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$4.38 ₩5,894

-52.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$7.08 ₩9,521

-67.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$3.26 ₩4,388

-35.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$2.65 ₩3,559

-35.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$2.02 ₩2,723

-42.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$1.26 ₩1,701

25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.43 ₩4,609

13.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.87 ₩18.7K

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$2.01 ₩2,710

-12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

$4.05 ₩5,451

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

$1.14 ₩1,533

3.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$3.05 ₩4,108

-40.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

$0.61 ₩817

249.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$7.64 ₩10.3K

6.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$1.40 ₩1,884

-8.57%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$28.9K ₩38.8M

19.28%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$35.4K ₩47.6M

-3.50%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$208 ₩279.4K

-14.43%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$42.50 ₩57.2K

-67.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$20.79 ₩28.0K

47.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$45.85 ₩61.7K

-8.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$14.48 ₩19.5K

16.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.01 ₩14.8K

-32.15%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$298 ₩400.9K

165.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.8K ₩24.0M

-31.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$63.8 ₩85.8K

35.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$62.2 ₩83.7K

-4.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$73.9 ₩99.5K

87.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$97.1 ₩130.6K

1.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$476 ₩640.9K

181.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$389 ₩523.4K

71.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,172 ₩1.6M

68.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,010 ₩1.4M

2.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$6,153 ₩8.3M

-33.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$4,922 ₩6.6M

-60.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,826 ₩2.5M

-64.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.1

166.83%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Andong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Andong

$389 27.5% 41.7% $278

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Andong

$395 27.9% 28.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Andong

$271 19.2% 21.9% $49

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Andong

$148 10.4% 14.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Andong

$134 9.5% 22.4% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Andong

$11 * 0.8% 88.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Andong

$68 4.8% 19.3% $11

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $476 in Andong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Andong pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $35 in Andong. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $395, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Andong

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

06:34 6:34 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

166,274

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 1,504 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Andong 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Andong

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

Medellin vs Andong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Andong wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Andong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $476 in Andong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $298 in Andong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Andong – a meal for two runs $35 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. Andong 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.