Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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 Beihai
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Beihai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Beihai

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $744 in Beihai, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Beihai $744

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,167 in Beihai, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Beihai $1,167

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,590 in Beihai, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Beihai $1,590

Medellin costs about 117% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Beihai is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.40 ¥22.73

133.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.4K

$19.56 ¥131

135.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$5.58 ¥37.27

70.25%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,873

$2.43 ¥16.26

27.98%

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

$1.83 COP 5,804

$0.46 ¥3.09

297.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,363

$0.30 ¥1.98

360.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,678

$1.22 ¥8.13

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.29 ¥15.33

140.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,603

$1.90 ¥12.67

-23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,501

$1.70 ¥11.35

38.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,332

$1.10 ¥7.33

52.73%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,083

$1.87 ¥12.52

52.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$13.95 ¥93.2

-26.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.92 ¥19.53

226.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.58 ¥70.7

32.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.10 ¥14.01

93.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,745

$1.48 ¥9.90

1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,896

$1.52 ¥10.18

42.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,315

$1.27 ¥8.47

81.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,117

$0.74 ¥4.91

160.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,199

$0.97 ¥6.45

69.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,573

$0.67 ¥4.47

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,957

$0.50 ¥3.33

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.39 ¥22.68

17.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.4K

$12.05 ¥80.5

10.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,387

$0.74 ¥4.95

129.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,530

$1.66 ¥11.09

42.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,830

$0.30 ¥2.02

303.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.7K

$17.17 ¥115

345.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,182

$1.56 ¥10.41

-15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,778

$0.31 ¥2.08

590.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$6.21 ¥41.49

36.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,117

$1.39 ¥9.30

-6.47%

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

$28.0K COP 88.8M

$18.2K ¥121.5K

53.92%

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

$35.4K COP 112.4M

$18.2K ¥121.8K

94.21%

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

$172 COP 546.0K

$61.5 ¥411

179.68%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$9.42 ¥63.0

41.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$12.09 ¥80.8

137.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.6K

$40.99 ¥274

10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.1K

$14.01 ¥93.6

21.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.71 ¥38.16

9.98%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$458 ¥3,062

68.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$18.3K ¥122.5K

-50.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.2K

$48.58 ¥325

77.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.3K

$38.03 ¥254

50.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 433.2K

$79.9 ¥534

70.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.6K

$79.0 ¥528

23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$279 ¥1,861

278.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$178 ¥1,189

246.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$718 ¥4,800

163.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$332 ¥2,219

207.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,665 ¥24.5K

10.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,221 ¥14.8K

-24.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 12, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Beihai

$178 23.9% 71.1% $438

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Beihai

$212 28.5% 28.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Beihai

$83 11.2% 61.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Beihai

$110 14.9% 35.1% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Beihai

$87 11.7% 48.4% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Beihai

$22 2.9% 77% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Beihai

$52 7% 9.3% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $279 in Beihai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $20.00 in Beihai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $212 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

11:50 11:50 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,617,500

💱 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 = 0.134 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 3,173 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,557 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Beihai 16,890 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Beihai

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 Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 117% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,116 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 39% 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $20.00 in Beihai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beihai costs $744 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Beihai. 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.