Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bucheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucheon: $1,490 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Bucheon
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Bucheon Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bucheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bucheon

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,490 in Bucheon, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Bucheon $1,490

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,399 in Bucheon, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Bucheon $2,399

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,308 in Bucheon, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Bucheon $3,308

Medellin costs about 10% more than Bucheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Bucheon sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Bucheon by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$9.03 ₩12.1K

-10.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$68.1 ₩91.3K

-30.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.49 ₩10.0K

26.84%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$4.18 ₩5,607

-27.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.54 ₩2,068

16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.81 ₩1,081

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.66 ₩4,903

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$5.86 ₩7,855

-1.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.05 ₩2,747

-26.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.09 ₩4,142

-22.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$4.40 ₩5,901

-59.77%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$3.73 ₩4,996

-22.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$17.50 ₩23.5K

-41.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$10.55 ₩14.1K

-6.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$26.16 ₩35.1K

-46.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$7.64 ₩10.2K

-48.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$3.43 ₩4,593

-54.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$5.84 ₩7,834

-62.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$6.35 ₩8,516

-65.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$3.77 ₩5,052

-48.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$2.60 ₩3,481

-38.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$2.84 ₩3,805

-59.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.16 ₩1,558

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.40 ₩4,558

16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$18.79 ₩25.2K

-27.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.28 ₩3,049

-27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$3.24 ₩4,348

-30.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.16 ₩1,550

0.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$3.67 ₩4,925

-65.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.60 ₩800

241.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$8.84 ₩11.9K

-3.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.46 ₩1,955

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$30.0K ₩40.2M

13.72%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$28.5K ₩38.3M

21.44%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$215 ₩287.9K

-21.01%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$35.76 ₩47.9K

-62.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$20.84 ₩27.9K

34.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$55.1 ₩73.8K

-20.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$14.32 ₩19.2K

20.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$11.13 ₩14.9K

-37.92%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$374 ₩501.6K

112.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$23.1K ₩30.9M

-60.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$59.1 ₩79.2K

43.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$33.12 ₩44.4K

75.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$70.3 ₩94.2K

91.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$81.9 ₩109.8K

19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$497 ₩665.9K

143.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$357 ₩478.9K

79.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,199 ₩1.6M

69.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$740 ₩991.6K

36.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$7,114 ₩9.5M

-41.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$5,501 ₩7.4M

-65.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,529 ₩2.0M

-57.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.08

168.14%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bucheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bucheon

$357 24% 44.3% $284

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bucheon

$479 32.1% 61.2% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bucheon

$271 18.2% 28.4% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bucheon

$184 12.4% 8.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bucheon

$110 7.4% 34.9% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bucheon

$11 * 0.8% 87.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bucheon

$77 5.2% 34.4% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $497 in Bucheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bucheon are about 2.3 times higher, 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 $68 in Bucheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $479 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Bucheon

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

14:26 2:26 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

848,191

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bucheon 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bucheon

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 Bucheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,490 in Bucheon – Bucheon comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,236 in Bucheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,490 in Bucheon. That makes Bucheon about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $374 in Bucheon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,490 in Bucheon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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