Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
Learn more

Bortala Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bortala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $758 in Bortala.

Medellin $1,639
Bortala $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,168 in Bortala.

Medellin $2,413
Bortala $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,577 in Bortala.

Medellin $3,186
Bortala $1,577

Living in Medellin is roughly 116% more expensive than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bortala is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.99 ¥19.86

170.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$22.84 ¥152

106.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.86 ¥32.30

95.47%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$2.79 ¥18.52

7.89%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$0.48 ¥3.18

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.32 ¥2.10

340.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.11 ¥7.38

186.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.16 ¥14.33

166.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.87 ¥12.44

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$1.59 ¥10.57

49.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$0.95 ¥6.29

86.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$1.60 ¥10.66

80.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.42 ¥89.2

-24.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.36 ¥22.35

193.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.29 ¥75.1

23.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.89 ¥12.53

110.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$1.34 ¥8.88

15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.51 ¥10.01

44.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.26 ¥8.35

73.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$0.75 ¥4.99

161.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$0.98 ¥6.49

62.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.59 ¥3.95

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.59 ¥3.89

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.71 ¥24.68

6.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.52 ¥76.6

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$0.88 ¥5.88

88.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$1.55 ¥10.30

45.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$0.28 ¥1.87

317.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$15.99 ¥106

383.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$1.57 ¥10.46

-19.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$0.32 ¥2.15

540.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.15 ¥47.55

19.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.17 ¥7.80

15.38%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$19.4K ¥129.0K

75.57%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.2K ¥100.8K

128.54%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$57.1 ¥380

197.01%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$8.48 ¥56.4

59.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$11.13 ¥74.0

152.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$41.95 ¥279

4.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.98 ¥99.6

14.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.53 ¥43.39

5.82%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$453 ¥3,013

75.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$19.3K ¥128.4K

-52.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$42.79 ¥284

97.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$30.92 ¥206

87.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$75.6 ¥503

78.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$68.3 ¥454

43.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$291 ¥1,932

315.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$214 ¥1,420

200.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$582 ¥3,870

248.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$343 ¥2,280

194.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,687 ¥24.5K

13.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,825 ¥12.1K

4.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$625 ¥4,156

5.11%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 66.7% $428

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 29.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 63.7% $135

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 49.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 42% $71

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 78.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 4.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $291 in Bortala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $210 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

246,706

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bortala 13,910 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bortala

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 Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $758 in Bortala – Bortala is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bortala runs roughly 79% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Bortala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.