Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Chifeng: $719 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Chifeng
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Chifeng Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Chifeng

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chifeng

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $719 in Chifeng, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Chifeng $719

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,137 in Chifeng, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Chifeng $1,137

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,555 in Chifeng, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Chifeng $1,555

Medellin costs about 128% more than Chifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.73 ¥18.20

196.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$21.77 ¥145

116.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.83 ¥32.16

96.69%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.96 ¥19.71

1.69%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.43 ¥2.87

318.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.29 ¥1.95

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$0.94 ¥6.29

238.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.14 ¥14.23

168.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.78 ¥11.82

-15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.59 ¥10.58

49.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.91 ¥6.04

94.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.61 ¥10.69

79.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.99 ¥86.4

-21.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.27 ¥21.76

201.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.31 ¥68.6

35.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.81 ¥12.04

119.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.22 ¥8.09

27.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.48 ¥9.86

47.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.15 ¥7.67

89.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.74 ¥4.91

164.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.90 ¥5.97

76.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.57 ¥3.78

101.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.51 ¥3.39

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.20 ¥21.32

23.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.35 ¥68.9

32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.74 ¥4.92

124.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.63 ¥10.87

38.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.29 ¥1.93

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$16.79 ¥112

360.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.43 ¥9.52

-11.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.36 ¥2.37

469.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.67 ¥44.37

28.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.13 ¥7.49

19.47%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.2K ¥127.9K

77.27%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.0K ¥112.9K

104.42%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$45.63 ¥304

271.79%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$9.91 ¥66.0

36.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$11.82 ¥78.6

137.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$42.41 ¥282

3.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$14.10 ¥93.8

21.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.86 ¥38.98

17.92%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$329 ¥2,192

141.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$17.1K ¥113.5K

-46.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$44.42 ¥296

90.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$30.68 ¥204

88.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$73.2 ¥487

84.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$71.8 ¥478

36.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$275 ¥1,832

338.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$195 ¥1,300

228.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$585 ¥3,894

246.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$360 ¥2,398

180.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,050 ¥20.3K

36.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,069 ¥13.8K

-7.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.89

181.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chifeng: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Chifeng

$195 27.2% 69.6% $446

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Chifeng

$198 27.6% 33.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Chifeng

$67 9.4% 68.1% $144

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Chifeng

$84 11.7% 50.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Chifeng

$99 13.8% 41.4% $70

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Chifeng

$21 2.9% 77.4% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Chifeng

$54 7.5% 5.9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $275 in Chifeng. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $22 in Chifeng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $198 – making Chifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Chifeng

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,175,391

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

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

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Chifeng 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chifeng

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 Chifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,078 in Chifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chifeng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $275 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Chifeng. 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 $719 in Chifeng. That’s a gap of about 128%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chifeng, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Chifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chifeng is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 128% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.