Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bac Ninh

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $457 a month against $1,663 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Bac Ninh
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Bac Ninh Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,663

/mo nomad

Bac Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bac Ninh

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

A single person spends $1,663 per month in Medellin vs $457 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Medellin $1,663
Bac Ninh $457

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Medellin vs $743 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Medellin $2,415
Bac Ninh $743

A family of three spends $3,166 per month in Medellin vs $1,028 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Medellin $3,166
Bac Ninh $1,028

Medellin costs about 264% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 24% above the global median, while Bac Ninh is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.96 COP 26.2K

$1.15 ₫29.5K

592.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 COP 151.4K

$23.01 ₫589.0K

99.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 COP 30.1K

$2.60 ₫66.7K

251.54%

Cappuccino

$2.97 COP 9,786

$1.15 ₫29.6K

158.26%

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

$1.83 COP 6,026

$0.26 ₫6,595

603.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 COP 4,575

$0.22 ₫5,534

531.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 COP 9,974

$0.72 ₫18.4K

320.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 COP 18.2K

$1.00 ₫25.7K

453.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 5,014

$1.57 ₫40.1K

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 COP 7,515

$1.01 ₫25.9K

125.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 COP 6,042

$0.78 ₫19.9K

134.62%

Eggs

$2.97 COP 9,800

$1.49 ₫38.2K

99.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 COP 31.7K

$11.72 ₫299.9K

-17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 COP 33.2K

$3.71 ₫95.1K

171.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 COP 44.4K

$9.70 ₫248.2K

38.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 COP 13.3K

$3.06 ₫78.3K

32.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 5,051

$1.01 ₫25.9K

51.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,971

$1.31 ₫33.7K

61.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,576

$1.08 ₫27.6K

112.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 COP 7,084

$0.91 ₫23.3K

136.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,438

$1.19 ₫30.5K

38.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,865

$0.54 ₫13.9K

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,202

$0.52 ₫13.4K

203.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 COP 12.4K

$1.40 ₫36.0K

169.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 COP 46.8K

$11.04 ₫282.5K

28.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 COP 5,506

$0.86 ₫22.0K

94.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 COP 8,731

$1.62 ₫41.4K

63.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 COP 3,804

$0.41 ₫10.4K

180.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.0 COP 257.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 COP 6,117

$0.90 ₫23.1K

106.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 COP 6,832

$0.61 ₫15.5K

239.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 27.7K

$2.32 ₫59.5K

262.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,378

$0.90 ₫23.1K

47.78%

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

$33.4K COP 110.1M

$30.8K ₫787.2M

8.57%

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

$33.4K COP 110.0M

$29.5K ₫754.8M

13.16%

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

$178 COP 587.1K

$84.7 ₫2.2M

110.31%

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

$13.40 COP 44.2K

$5.12 ₫131.0K

161.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.88 COP 98.5K

$6.95 ₫177.8K

329.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 COP 131.4K

$11.93 ₫305.3K

234.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.35 COP 53.9K

$7.98 ₫204.2K

104.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 COP 23.6K

$3.21 ₫82.0K

123.05%

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

$771 COP 2.5M

$716 ₫18.3M

7.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K COP 39.7M

$12.8K ₫328.6M

-6.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 COP 281.3K

$46.36 ₫1.2M

84.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 COP 188.6K

$29.33 ₫750.7K

95.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 COP 440.8K

$83.8 ₫2.1M

59.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 COP 315.1K

$74.8 ₫1.9M

27.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 COP 4.4M

$692 ₫17.7M

91.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 COP 6.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,037 COP 13.3M

$1,691 ₫43.3M

138.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,926 COP 6.3M

$792 ₫20.3M

143.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$661 COP 2.2M

$384 ₫9.8M

72.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.17

33.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 9, 2026

Last update for Bac Ninh: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$658 39.6%

Bac Ninh

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$302 18.1%

Bac Ninh

$193 42.2% 36.1% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$221 13.3%

Bac Ninh

$97 21.2% 56.3% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$167 10.1%

Bac Ninh

$105 23.1% 37% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10%

Bac Ninh

$38 8.4% 76.8% $127

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.7%

Bac Ninh

$5.6 * 1.2% 94.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$54 3.3%

Bac Ninh

$18 4% 66.2% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,326 in Medellin versus $692 in Bac Ninh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 72% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Medellin versus $23 in Bac Ninh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $193 – making Bac Ninh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Bac Ninh

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

288,766

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.03 USD

10,000 COP = 2.72 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 3,296 COP (10,000 COP = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 3,683 COP (10,000 COP = 2.72 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 25,594 VND (100,000 VND = 3.91 USD). 1 EUR = 28,593 VND (100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bac Ninh 16,960 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bac Ninh

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 Bac Ninh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 264% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,495 per month in Medellin and $686 in Bac Ninh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bac Ninh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $1,326 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Medellin and $23 in Bac Ninh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Medellin at $1,663. In Bac Ninh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bac Ninh – 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 Bac Ninh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.