Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baoding

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoding: $710 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Baoding
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Baoding Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Baoding

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baoding

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $710 in Baoding, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Baoding $710

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,110 in Baoding, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Baoding $1,110

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,510 in Baoding, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Baoding $1,510

Medellin costs about 131% more than Baoding, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Baoding is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$1.75 ¥11.69

362.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$17.65 ¥118

166.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.98 ¥33.22

90.76%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.32 ¥8.78

128.03%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.51 ¥3.38

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.21 ¥1.40

571.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$0.77 ¥5.15

312.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.24 ¥8.28

363.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.51 ¥10.08

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.76 ¥11.76

35.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.72 ¥4.82

145.83%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$0.82 ¥5.45

252.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$14.62 ¥97.5

-30.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$1.83 ¥12.23

439.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.34 ¥48.90

90.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$0.77 ¥5.11

415.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.62 ¥4.13

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.01 ¥13.42

8.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.62 ¥4.15

251.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.44 ¥2.91

345.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.58 ¥3.87

174.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.71 ¥4.71

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.44 ¥2.92

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.40 ¥29.34

-10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$14.19 ¥94.6

-3.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$0.59 ¥3.92

181.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$1.06 ¥7.08

113.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.23 ¥1.53

408.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$18.29 ¥122

323.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.38 ¥9.19

-7.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.33 ¥2.17

521.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.48 ¥49.88

14.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.18 ¥7.90

14.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.6K ¥130.4K

74.08%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$18.3K ¥121.8K

89.70%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$59.6 ¥397

184.84%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$4.45 ¥29.66

204.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$4.48 ¥29.86

526.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$41.78 ¥279

4.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$13.46 ¥89.7

27.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.33 ¥35.53

29.64%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$431 ¥2,872

84.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$24.0K ¥160.1K

-62.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$71.8 ¥478

18.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$40.93 ¥273

41.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$86.7 ¥578

55.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$128 ¥855

-23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$290 ¥1,933

316.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$189 ¥1,260

239.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$609 ¥4,061

232.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$360 ¥2,398

181.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,255 ¥21.7K

28.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,964 ¥13.1K

-2.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,288 ¥8,585

-48.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.12

250.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baoding: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Baoding

$189 26.6% 70.5% $453

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Baoding

$177 24.9% 40.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Baoding

$68 9.6% 67.6% $143

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Baoding

$54 7.6% 68.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Baoding

$147 20.8% 12.7% $22

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Baoding

$22 3.1% 76.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Baoding

$52 7.4% 8.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $290 in Baoding. 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 96% higher in Baoding, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $18 in Baoding. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $177 – making Baoding the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Baoding

🕒 Local time

13:38 1:38 PM

02:38 2:38 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

11,437,217

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Baoding 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Baoding

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 Baoding: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $710 in Baoding – roughly 131% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,066 in Baoding. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baoding, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Baoding. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $431 in Baoding. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Baoding, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Baoding it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Baoding is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 131% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.