Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $1,639 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
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
Learn more

Changsha Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Changsha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $783 in Changsha.

Medellin $1,639
Changsha $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,282 in Changsha.

Medellin $2,413
Changsha $1,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,780 in Changsha.

Medellin $3,186
Changsha $1,780

Living in Medellin is roughly 109% more expensive than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Changsha is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.96 ¥19.66

173.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$22.41 ¥149

109.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.90 ¥32.55

93.88%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.34 ¥22.20

-9.88%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.51 ¥3.38

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.27 ¥1.81

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.24 ¥8.23

156.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.90 ¥12.59

202.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.97 ¥13.07

-23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.37 ¥15.75

0.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.94 ¥6.27

88.30%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.72 ¥11.43

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.99 ¥86.3

-21.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.10 ¥27.27

140.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.65 ¥77.4

20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.84 ¥18.88

39.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.39 ¥9.26

11.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.93 ¥12.81

12.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.02 ¥13.44

7.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.96 ¥6.38

104.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.66 ¥11.02

-4.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.65 ¥4.33

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.49 ¥3.27

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.92 ¥19.38

35.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$12.72 ¥84.5

7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.03 ¥6.85

61.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.54 ¥10.25

46.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.35 ¥2.34

234.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$14.75 ¥98.0

424.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.48 ¥9.81

-14.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.31 ¥2.09

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.56 ¥30.27

87.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.26 ¥8.39

7.14%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$19.9K ¥131.9K

71.56%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$17.8K ¥118.4K

94.56%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$56.1 ¥373

202.35%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$9.08 ¥60.3

49.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$13.61 ¥90.4

106.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$54.8 ¥364

-20.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$24.80 ¥165

-30.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.54 ¥43.48

5.66%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$326 ¥2,169

144.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$17.2K ¥114.1K

-46.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$84.4 ¥561

0.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$34.62 ¥230

67.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$90.0 ¥598

49.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$61.2 ¥406

60.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$266 ¥1,769

353.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$167 ¥1,109

284.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$559 ¥3,716

262.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$381 ¥2,532

165.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,482 ¥16.5K

68.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,414 ¥9,399

35.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,104 ¥7,337

-40.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.46

216.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Changsha

$167 21.3% 74% $475

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Changsha

$237 30.3% 20.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Changsha

$79 10.1% 62.7% $132

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Changsha

$92 11.7% 46% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Changsha

$122 15.5% 28.1% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 79.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 18% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $266 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 68% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $22 in Changsha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $237 per month, with Changsha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

14:09 2:09 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,289,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Changsha 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Changsha

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 Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $783 in Changsha, so Changsha is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $266 in Changsha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $783 in Changsha – Changsha is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $783 in Changsha versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Changsha but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Changsha the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Changsha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.