Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Can Tho

For one person, living is cheaper in Can Tho: $724 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Can Tho
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Can Tho Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Can Tho

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Can Tho

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $724 in Can Tho, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Can Tho $724

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,227 in Can Tho, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Can Tho $1,227

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,729 in Can Tho, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Can Tho $1,729

Medellin costs about 134% more than Can Tho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Can Tho is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$1.40 ₫36.0K

495.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$23.71 ₫610.8K

96.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$3.78 ₫97.5K

150.53%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.51 ₫39.0K

107.28%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.53 ₫13.6K

233.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.29 ₫7,591

389.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.07 ₫27.6K

194.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.13 ₫29.1K

404.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.32 ₫34.0K

15.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.18 ₫30.3K

94.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$0.80 ₫20.7K

142.50%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.42 ₫36.6K

116.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$12.18 ₫313.7K

-17.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.57 ₫92.0K

192.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$9.94 ₫256.0K

40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.14 ₫81.0K

28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.28 ₫33.1K

19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.38 ₫35.4K

52.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$0.80 ₫20.7K

186.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.75 ₫19.4K

181.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.94 ₫24.2K

81.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.80 ₫20.5K

46.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.56 ₫14.4K

182.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.22 ₫31.4K

220.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$7.67 ₫197.7K

83.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.95 ₫24.5K

85.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.42 ₫36.5K

90.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.31 ₫7,882

280.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$6.30 ₫162.3K

1110.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.46 ₫11.8K

293.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.59 ₫15.2K

261.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$3.04 ₫78.4K

167.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.91 ₫23.6K

40.66%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$31.0K ₫799.0M

11.04%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$28.9K ₫745.6M

17.94%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$49.32 ₫1.3M

260.36%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$3.89 ₫100.3K

257.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$9.61 ₫247.6K

219.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$20.23 ₫521.3K

107.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$7.59 ₫195.5K

121.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$3.36 ₫86.5K

122.32%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$190 ₫4.9M

315.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,044 ₫181.4M

74.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$19.50 ₫502.4K

342.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$19.70 ₫507.6K

200.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$92.5 ₫2.4M

49.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$94.4 ₫2.4M

4.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$432 ₫11.1M

210.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$282 ₫7.3M

136.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$659 ₫17.0M

199.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$697 ₫18.0M

48.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,427 ₫62.5M

68.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,355 ₫34.9M

43.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$161 ₫4.1M

302.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.64

26.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Can Tho: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Can Tho

$282 39% 57.7% $385

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Can Tho

$188 26% 38.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Can Tho

$63 8.7% 71.7% $160

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Can Tho

$52 7.1% 70.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Can Tho

$102 14.1% 40.9% $70

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Can Tho

$11 1.5% 88.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Can Tho

$27 3.7% 52.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $432 in Can Tho. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $24 in Can Tho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $188 – making Can Tho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Can Tho

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

21:56 9:56 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,258,900

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Can Tho 18,200 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Can Tho

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 Can Tho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 134%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,086 in Can Tho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Can Tho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $432 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in Can Tho. 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 Can Tho, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Can Tho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Can Tho. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.