Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baoji

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $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
36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baoji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $710 in Baoji.

Medellin $1,639
Baoji $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,140 in Baoji.

Medellin $2,413
Baoji $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,571 in Baoji.

Medellin $3,186
Baoji $1,571

Living in Medellin is roughly 131% more expensive than in Baoji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Baoji is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.72 ¥18.07

197.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$11.77 ¥78.3

299.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.42 ¥29.44

114.93%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.09 ¥13.89

44.02%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.29 ¥1.93

520.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.29 ¥1.95

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.46 ¥9.71

117.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.48 ¥9.84

288.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.43 ¥9.50

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.74 ¥11.58

36.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.84 ¥5.57

110.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$0.87 ¥5.76

232.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$11.57 ¥77.0

-11.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.01 ¥26.69

146.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$10.66 ¥70.9

31.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.63 ¥10.86

143.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.12 ¥7.45

38.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.24 ¥8.23

75.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.34 ¥8.89

62.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.66 ¥4.38

196.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.73 ¥4.88

117.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.62 ¥4.13

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.58 ¥3.89

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.36 ¥22.33

17.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$9.49 ¥63.2

44.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.80 ¥5.35

107.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.69 ¥11.24

33.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.29 ¥1.93

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$16.72 ¥111

362.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.29 ¥8.59

-1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.29 ¥1.90

606.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$4.47 ¥29.78

91.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.29 ¥8.60

4.65%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$19.7K ¥131.0K

73.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$18.1K ¥120.3K

91.74%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$90.5 ¥602

87.50%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$6.32 ¥42.09

114.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$10.91 ¥72.6

157.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$39.00 ¥260

12.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$16.41 ¥109

4.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$5.78 ¥38.45

19.55%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$684 ¥4,549

16.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$17.8K ¥118.2K

-48.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$38.84 ¥258

118.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$37.99 ¥253

52.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$74.0 ¥493

82.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$90.3 ¥601

8.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$284 ¥1,887

325.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$159 ¥1,059

303.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$592 ¥3,937

242.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$416 ¥2,769

143.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,853 ¥19.0K

46.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,714 ¥11.4K

11.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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 25, 2026

Last update for Baoji: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Baoji

$159 22.4% 75.2% $482

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Baoji

$191 26.9% 35.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Baoji

$108 15.2% 49% $104

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Baoji

$73 10.2% 57.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Baoji

$109 15.3% 35.8% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Baoji

$21 2.9% 78% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Baoji

$51 7.1% 12.1% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $284 in Baoji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $12 in Baoji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $191 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Baoji

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

12:32 12:32 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,438,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Baoji 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Baoji

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 Baoji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baoji is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,065 in Baoji to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $284 in Baoji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baoji runs roughly 78% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $684 in Baoji. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $710 in Baoji versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baoji but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Baoji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Baoji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.