Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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 Chuzhou
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Chuzhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Chuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $685 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Chuzhou $685

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,120 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Chuzhou $1,120

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

Medellin $3,186
Chuzhou $1,555

Medellin costs about 139% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Chuzhou is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.28 ¥15.18

254.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$22.28 ¥149

111.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.76 ¥31.70

99.58%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.30 ¥15.34

30.87%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.53 ¥3.55

239.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.27 ¥1.80

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$0.44 ¥2.91

622.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.54 ¥10.24

273.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.54 ¥10.29

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.07 ¥13.77

14.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.84 ¥5.58

110.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.32 ¥8.82

118.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.57 ¥70.5

-3.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.03 ¥20.18

225.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.07 ¥60.5

54.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.09 ¥13.90

89.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.26 ¥8.37

23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.71 ¥11.41

27.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.07 ¥7.16

103.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.90 ¥5.97

117.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.97 ¥6.48

63.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.89 ¥5.93

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.52 ¥3.47

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.83 ¥25.55

3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.28 ¥88.5

3.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$0.95 ¥6.32

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$1.55 ¥10.36

45.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.31 ¥2.08

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$19.20 ¥128

302.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.75 ¥11.68

-27.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.41 ¥2.75

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$9.09 ¥60.6

-5.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.32 ¥8.79

2.27%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

76.40%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.4K ¥115.7K

99.80%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$55.5 ¥370

205.62%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$7.88 ¥52.5

71.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$7.28 ¥48.51

285.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$43.09 ¥287

1.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$16.05 ¥107

7.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.07 ¥40.47

13.84%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$441 ¥2,937

80.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$22.8K ¥152.1K

-60.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$43.42 ¥289

95.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$34.55 ¥230

67.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$64.8 ¥432

108.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$87.6 ¥584

11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$253 ¥1,686

377.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$165 ¥1,097

289.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$606 ¥4,039

234.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$376 ¥2,507

169.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,018 ¥20.1K

38.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,996 ¥13.3K

-4.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.42

219.88%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Chuzhou

$165 24% 74.4% $477

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Chuzhou

$198 28.9% 33.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Chuzhou

$71 10.3% 66.5% $141

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Chuzhou

$69 10% 59.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Chuzhou

$104 15.1% 38.6% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Chuzhou

$24 3.5% 74.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Chuzhou

$55 8.1% 4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $253 in Chuzhou. 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 Chuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $198 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Chuzhou

🕒 Local time

09:58 9:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,987,054

💱 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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Chuzhou 15,480 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chuzhou

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 Chuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 139% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,027 in Chuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Chuzhou. 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 $685 in Chuzhou. That’s a gap of about 139%.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 139% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.