Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chongqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $722 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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 Chongqing
Learn more

Chongqing Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chongqing

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $722 in Chongqing, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Chongqing $722

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,175 in Chongqing, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Chongqing $1,175

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,629 in Chongqing, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Chongqing $1,629

Medellin costs about 125% more than Chongqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.64 ¥17.62

214.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.26 ¥149

110.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.83 ¥32.27

91.30%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.07 ¥13.81

47.34%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.46 ¥3.11

291.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.31 ¥2.09

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.22 ¥8.15

165.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.77 ¥11.84

214.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.01 ¥13.44

-25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.66 ¥11.07

42.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.61 ¥4.05

178.69%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.25 ¥15.04

31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$17.76 ¥119

-42.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.31 ¥22.11

194.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.03 ¥67.1

38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.49 ¥10.00

177.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.28 ¥8.57

19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.23 ¥8.26

80.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.21 ¥8.07

87.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.61 ¥4.08

226.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.02 ¥6.79

63.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.90 ¥6.02

31.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.62 ¥4.12

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.04 ¥20.32

27.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.98 ¥60.1

53.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.76 ¥5.10

118.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.73 ¥11.55

38.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.36 ¥2.38

244.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$22.52 ¥151

247.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.46 ¥9.74

-12.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.31 ¥2.09

593.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$2.91 ¥19.46

187.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.32 ¥8.80

2.27%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.4K ¥129.8K

79.00%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$17.2K ¥115.0K

101.71%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$45.07 ¥301

269.76%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$7.26 ¥48.52

87.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$7.19 ¥48.09

305.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$49.49 ¥331

-8.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$10.40 ¥69.6

65.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.95 ¥39.81

17.14%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$289 ¥1,929

173.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$25.1K ¥167.8K

-63.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$39.99 ¥267

119.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$29.64 ¥198

96.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$66.0 ¥441

110.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$64.4 ¥430

53.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$426 ¥2,851

141.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$196 ¥1,313

215.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$894 ¥5,977

110.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$422 ¥2,823

138.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,741 ¥18.3K

45.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,741 ¥11.6K

-2.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,102 ¥7,371

-39.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.34

227.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chongqing: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Chongqing

$196 27.2% 68.3% $423

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Chongqing

$214 29.7% 28.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Chongqing

$60 8.3% 71.6% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Chongqing

$90 12.5% 47.9% $83

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Chongqing

$73 10.1% 57.2% $98

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Chongqing

$27 3.7% 71.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Chongqing

$61 8.5% 4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $426 in Chongqing. 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 66% higher in Chongqing, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $22.00 in Chongqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $214 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

23:37 11:37 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,564,449

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Chongqing 16,020 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chongqing

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 Chongqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 125%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,082 in Chongqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chongqing, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $289 in Chongqing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – 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 Chongqing. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.