Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $726 in Chengdu, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Chengdu $726

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,170 in Chengdu, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Chengdu $1,170

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,614 in Chengdu, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Chengdu $1,614

Medellin costs about 126% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Chengdu is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.92 ¥19.43

177.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$22.28 ¥148

111.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$4.85 ¥32.28

95.88%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.00 ¥19.95

0.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.51 ¥3.39

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.26 ¥1.73

442.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.51 ¥10.06

110.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.28 ¥15.20

152.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.85 ¥12.29

-18.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.49 ¥9.89

59.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.99 ¥6.58

78.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.61 ¥10.70

79.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$14.31 ¥95.2

-28.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.64 ¥24.25

171.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.02 ¥73.4

26.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.90 ¥12.62

108.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.39 ¥9.23

11.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.04 ¥6.91

109.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.20 ¥7.98

81.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.74 ¥4.91

164.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.69 ¥4.57

130.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.64 ¥4.23

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.58 ¥3.83

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.69 ¥24.53

7.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.37 ¥29.09

213.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.84 ¥5.58

97.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.48 ¥9.82

52.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.29 ¥1.93

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$25.23 ¥168

206.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.33 ¥8.83

-4.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.31 ¥2.07

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.37 ¥29.08

95.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.27 ¥8.48

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.6K ¥130.7K

73.40%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$18.0K ¥120.1K

92.10%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$46.65 ¥310

263.67%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.40 ¥62.6

44.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$12.87 ¥85.6

118.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$27.11 ¥180

61.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$11.21 ¥74.6

53.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.17 ¥41.03

11.99%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,161 ¥7,725

-31.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$15.3K ¥101.5K

-40.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$25.36 ¥169

234.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$27.52 ¥183

110.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$57.1 ¥380

136.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$53.2 ¥354

84.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$425 ¥2,830

184.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$231 ¥1,540

177.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$755 ¥5,027

168.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$478 ¥3,178

111.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$3,476 ¥23.1K

19.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,845 ¥12.3K

3.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,278 ¥8,503

-48.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.38

223.67%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Chengdu

$231 31.9% 63.9% $410

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Chengdu

$195 26.8% 34.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Chengdu

$69 9.5% 67.4% $142

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Chengdu

$89 12.3% 47.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Chengdu

$73 10.1% 56.5% $96

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Chengdu

$29 4% 68.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Chengdu

$39 5.4% 31.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $425 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Chengdu, 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 $22 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $195 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

01:08 1:08 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Chengdu 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $726 in Chengdu – Chengdu comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,090 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Chengdu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $726 in Chengdu. That makes Chengdu about 56% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Chengdu to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chengdu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.