Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ankang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 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.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ankang

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 Ankang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $725 in Ankang, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Ankang $725

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,132 in Ankang, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Ankang $1,132

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,540 in Ankang, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Ankang $1,540

Medellin costs about 123% more than Ankang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ankang is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$1.47 ¥9.81

439.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$14.99 ¥100

207.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.91 ¥19.46

226.46%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.15 ¥14.39

44.65%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.43 ¥2.90

325.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.27 ¥1.79

411.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.50 ¥10.03

103.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.48 ¥9.86

271.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.47 ¥9.85

-1.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.70 ¥11.37

38.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.90 ¥5.99

86.67%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.49 ¥9.98

91.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$11.41 ¥76.3

-10.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.12 ¥27.53

131.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.36 ¥69.2

35.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.70 ¥11.34

139.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.15 ¥7.67

30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.24 ¥8.32

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.26 ¥8.44

83.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.68 ¥4.52

183.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.69 ¥4.61

137.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.58 ¥3.85

94.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.55 ¥3.68

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.31 ¥22.15

20.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$9.89 ¥66.1

34.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.78 ¥5.19

117.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.68 ¥11.22

41.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.32 ¥2.12

278.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$17.21 ¥115

344.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.25 ¥8.35

5.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.29 ¥1.93

637.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.36 ¥29.16

94.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.36 ¥9.08

-4.41%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$19.3K ¥129.3K

44.68%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

102.38%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$89.3 ¥597

92.62%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$3.26 ¥21.79

310.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$10.61 ¥70.9

170.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$44.85 ¥300

0.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$13.11 ¥87.7

29.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.68 ¥37.99

10.56%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$679 ¥4,540

13.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$17.2K ¥115.2K

-47.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$39.44 ¥264

119.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$37.19 ¥249

53.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$74.4 ¥498

83.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$92.4 ¥618

5.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$299 ¥2,002

252.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$182 ¥1,220

237.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$616 ¥4,117

207.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$386 ¥2,582

164.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,279 ¥21.9K

23.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,225 ¥14.9K

-24.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.35

226.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ankang

$182 25.2% 70.4% $433

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ankang

$193 26.6% 34.5% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ankang

$103 14.2% 51.8% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ankang

$110 15.1% 35.6% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ankang

$60 8.2% 64.6% $109

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ankang

$21 2.9% 77.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ankang

$56 7.8% 2.8% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $299 in Ankang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $15.00 in Ankang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $193 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Ankang

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

11:56 11:56 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

894,853

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Ankang 15,650 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ankang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,088 in Ankang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 344% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $679 in Ankang. 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 Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Ankang. 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.