Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baotou

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baotou

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $768 in Baotou, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Baotou $768

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,248 in Baotou, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Baotou $1,248

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,728 in Baotou, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Baotou $1,728

Medellin costs about 111% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Baotou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$5.26 ¥35.18

57.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.87 ¥153

105.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.50 ¥63.5

-2.74%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.78 ¥18.56

9.71%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.47 ¥3.17

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.31 ¥2.07

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.13 ¥7.59

186.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.91 ¥12.77

191.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.87 ¥12.49

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.59 ¥10.65

49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.65 ¥4.35

161.54%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.48 ¥16.55

19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.77 ¥92.1

-25.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.87 ¥25.86

151.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$12.26 ¥82.0

13.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.90 ¥12.70

117.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.33 ¥8.87

15.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.50 ¥10.01

48.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.27 ¥8.52

78.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.75 ¥5.01

165.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.01 ¥6.76

65.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.58 ¥3.88

103.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.59 ¥3.93

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.28 ¥28.59

-9.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.83 ¥72.4

27.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.86 ¥5.77

93.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.55 ¥10.34

54.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.31 ¥2.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$16.41 ¥110

376.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.02 ¥6.85

25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.35 ¥2.35

514.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.09 ¥47.38

18.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.16 ¥7.77

16.38%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.1K ¥141.2K

64.59%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$20.1K ¥134.6K

72.27%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$58.0 ¥388

187.13%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$8.15 ¥54.5

67.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$9.65 ¥64.5

201.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$47.39 ¥317

-4.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$15.49 ¥104

10.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.08 ¥34.00

37.20%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$371 ¥2,483

112.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$19.7K ¥131.8K

-54.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$42.80 ¥286

105.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$36.08 ¥241

61.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$73.6 ¥492

88.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$88.4 ¥591

11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$263 ¥1,758

290.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$173 ¥1,154

258.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$605 ¥4,042

211.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$380 ¥2,543

164.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,121 ¥20.9K

27.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,040 ¥13.6K

-16.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$666 ¥4,454

-0.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.36

225.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Baotou

$173 22.5% 72.1% $447

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Baotou

$217 28.3% 27.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 63.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Baotou

$108 14.1% 37.3% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 31.8% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Baotou

$20 2.7% 78.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Baotou

$58 7.5% 2.5% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $263 in Baotou. 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 0% higher in Baotou, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $23.00 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $217 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

10:26 10:26 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,709,378

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Baotou 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Baotou

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 Baotou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $768 in Baotou – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,153 in Baotou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 37% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $23.00 in Baotou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $768 in Baotou to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Baotou. 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.