Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ansan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ansan: $1,375 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Ansan
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Ansan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Ansan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ansan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,375 in Ansan.

Medellin $1,692
Ansan $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,106 in Ansan.

Medellin $2,471
Ansan $2,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,838 in Ansan.

Medellin $3,249
Ansan $2,838

Living in Medellin is roughly 23% more expensive than in Ansan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Ansan 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.42 ₩9,940

12.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$35.16 ₩47.1K

32.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.86 ₩9,192

38.05%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.07 ₩5,453

-23.10%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.56 ₩2,086

13.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.77 ₩1,028

84.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.45 ₩4,619

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.35 ₩5,834

31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.11 ₩2,829

-27.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$3.13 ₩4,195

-26.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.57 ₩3,441

-24.51%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$3.68 ₩4,928

-16.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.41 ₩20.7K

-35.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.93 ₩7,948

76.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$17.07 ₩22.9K

-18.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.86 ₩9,196

-40.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$2.78 ₩3,723

-44.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.40 ₩5,898

-52.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$6.32 ₩8,475

-63.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$3.74 ₩5,015

-43.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$2.48 ₩3,325

-31.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$2.01 ₩2,694

-41.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.15 ₩1,539

37.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.44 ₩4,605

13.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.79 ₩18.5K

1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$2.34 ₩3,143

-24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$3.23 ₩4,326

-16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.08 ₩1,452

9.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$3.67 ₩4,914

-50.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.58 ₩771

267.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$9.16 ₩12.3K

-11.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.33 ₩1,786

-3.76%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$28.9K ₩38.7M

19.17%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$27.6K ₩37.0M

23.66%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$210 ₩281.8K

-15.44%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$34.42 ₩46.1K

-59.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$20.41 ₩27.4K

50.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$37.04 ₩49.7K

13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$10.98 ₩14.7K

-31.97%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$304 ₩407.1K

160.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.6K ₩23.6M

-30.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$60.5 ₩81.1K

42.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$33.55 ₩45.0K

76.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$68.2 ₩91.4K

102.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$80.9 ₩108.4K

22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$446 ₩598.0K

200.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$378 ₩506.9K

76.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,123 ₩1.5M

75.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$749 ₩1.0M

37.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$21.4K ₩28.7M

-80.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,473 ₩2.0M

-56.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.08

168.14%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ansan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Ansan

$378 27.5% 43.3% $289

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Ansan

$388 28.3% 26.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Ansan

$265 19.3% 19.2% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Ansan

$164 11.9% 5% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Ansan

$109 8% 36.5% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Ansan

$11 * 0.8% 88.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Ansan

$59 4.3% 3.7% $2.1

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 $446 in Ansan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ansan pays about 2.3 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 Ansan. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $388, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Ansan

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

677,710

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ansan 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ansan

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 Ansan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ansan is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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 $446 in Ansan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $304 in Ansan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ansan – 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 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.