Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cheongju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Medellin $1,639
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Medellin $2,413
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Medellin $3,186
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Medellin is roughly 16% more expensive than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cheongju 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.47 ₩10.0K

8.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$48.95 ₩65.7K

-3.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.88 ₩7,898

61.56%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.66 ₩4,909

-17.76%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.84 ₩2,476

-2.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.40 ₩1,874

0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.65 ₩4,906

-12.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.33 ₩5,816

32.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.25 ₩3,026

-32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.25 ₩4,370

-26.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.05 ₩4,102

-41.97%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.73 ₩3,672

5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$10.65 ₩14.3K

-7.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$24.55 ₩33.0K

-43.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$11.40 ₩15.3K

-65.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.59 ₩4,819

-56.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-73.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$5.85 ₩7,855

-62.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$5.84 ₩7,842

-66.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.43 ₩4,602

-53.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.87 ₩3,854

-59.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.33 ₩1,779

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.45 ₩4,627

14.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$18.71 ₩25.1K

-26.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.46 ₩3,303

-32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.40 ₩4,572

-33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.15 ₩1,538

1.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.50 ₩4,701

-63.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.76 ₩1,021

169.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$16.67 ₩22.4K

-48.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.36 ₩1,823

-0.74%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$39.0K ₩52.4M

-12.73%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.7K ₩45.3M

2.77%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$205 ₩275.0K

-17.16%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$24.30 ₩32.6K

-44.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$27.72 ₩37.2K

1.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$53.6 ₩71.9K

-18.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$13.97 ₩18.8K

23.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$11.81 ₩15.9K

-41.49%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$651 ₩873.5K

22.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$21.8K ₩29.3M

-58.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$36.84 ₩49.5K

129.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$65.4 ₩87.8K

-11.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$93.9 ₩126.0K

43.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$113 ₩152.1K

-13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$342 ₩459.8K

252.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$275 ₩369.7K

133.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,197 ₩1.6M

69.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$760 ₩1.0M

33.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$7,228 ₩9.7M

-42.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$5,619 ₩7.5M

-66.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-74.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.22

159.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 57.1% $366

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 64.3% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 21.6% $46

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 5% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 17.6% $30

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 87.3% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 34.2% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 4 times 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 $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $488 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

04:59 4:59 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

835,669

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cheongju 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cheongju

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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $651 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cheongju is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.