Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cixi Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cixi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,716 in Medellin versus $720 in Cixi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,527 in Medellin versus $1,148 in Cixi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,338 in Medellin versus $1,575 in Cixi.

Living in Medellin is roughly 138% more expensive than in Cixi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Cixi is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.03 COP 25.1K

$2.77 ¥18.56

189.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.26 COP 150.8K

$21.83 ¥146

121.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 COP 30.5K

$4.94 ¥33.13

97.77%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,095

$3.04 ¥20.38

-4.28%

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

$1.94 COP 6,074

$0.47 ¥3.12

312.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 COP 4,754

$0.29 ¥1.94

424.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 COP 9,663

$0.92 ¥6.17

235.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 COP 17.9K

$2.04 ¥13.64

181.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,262

$1.80 ¥12.08

-24.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,460

$1.61 ¥10.81

48.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,314

$0.98 ¥6.53

73.47%

Eggs

$2.87 COP 8,967

$1.55 ¥10.39

85.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 COP 31.1K

$13.07 ¥87.6

-23.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.78 COP 33.7K

$3.23 ¥21.66

233.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 COP 46.0K

$10.31 ¥69.1

42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 COP 12.8K

$1.86 ¥12.48

119.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 COP 4,911

$1.24 ¥8.31

26.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 COP 6,642

$1.48 ¥9.93

43.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 COP 6,917

$1.15 ¥7.68

92.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 COP 6,396

$0.69 ¥4.62

197.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,700

$0.95 ¥6.35

57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 COP 3,718

$0.60 ¥4.04

98.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 COP 3,619

$0.54 ¥3.62

114.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 COP 12.2K

$3.06 ¥20.52

27.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 COP 45.1K

$10.38 ¥69.6

39.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 4,948

$0.75 ¥5.02

110.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 8,836

$1.59 ¥10.67

77.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,650

$0.29 ¥1.94

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.7 COP 242.9K

$16.73 ¥112

364.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,014

$1.43 ¥9.56

-10.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,537

$0.35 ¥2.36

497.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 COP 26.9K

$6.81 ¥45.63

26.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,056

$1.13 ¥7.59

15.04%

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

$27.7K COP 86.4M

$19.8K ¥132.4K

39.99%

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

$35.5K COP 110.9M

$17.0K ¥114.2K

108.31%

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

$176 COP 550.1K

$44.83 ¥300

292.75%

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

$13.37 COP 41.8K

$9.83 ¥65.9

36.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.89 COP 93.4K

$11.49 ¥77.0

160.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 COP 139.8K

$41.23 ¥276

8.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 COP 53.3K

$14.17 ¥95.0

20.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 COP 19.4K

$6.00 ¥40.21

3.33%

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

$793 COP 2.5M

$338 ¥2,262

135.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,019 COP 28.2M

$16.6K ¥111.4K

-45.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 COP 267.5K

$44.22 ¥296

93.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.5 COP 182.7K

$30.25 ¥203

93.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 COP 425.9K

$72.9 ¥489

86.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 COP 322.2K

$71.1 ¥477

44.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 COP 3.3M

$278 ¥1,864

281.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 COP 2.1M

$191 ¥1,281

255.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 COP 6.3M

$600 ¥4,020

235.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 COP 3.7M

$359 ¥2,403

225.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,111 COP 12.8M

$3,044 ¥20.4K

35.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,701 COP 5.3M

$2,030 ¥13.6K

-16.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$665 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: August 30, 2026

Last update for Cixi: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,060 in Medellin and $278 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $22.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $200 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 138% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,574 in Medellin and $1,080 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,060 in Medellin versus $278 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $793 in Medellin versus $338 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $720 in Cixi versus $1,716 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $720 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Cixi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.