Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $1,625 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cixi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $709 in Cixi.

Medellin $1,625
Cixi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,125 in Cixi.

Medellin $2,412
Cixi $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,542 in Cixi.

Medellin $3,199
Cixi $1,542

Living in Medellin is roughly 129% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cixi is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.75 ¥18.38

201.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$21.47 ¥144

118.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.78 ¥31.99

93.31%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.98 ¥19.94

2.35%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.43 ¥2.88

318.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.29 ¥1.94

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.94 ¥6.30

244.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.12 ¥14.19

162.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.87 ¥12.50

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.57 ¥10.48

50.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.97 ¥6.51

75.26%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.54 ¥10.30

92.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$12.61 ¥84.3

-18.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.12 ¥20.89

212.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.08 ¥67.4

37.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.81 ¥12.10

128.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.25 ¥8.36

22.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.54 ¥10.30

44.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.09 ¥7.29

108.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.70 ¥4.65

184.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.94 ¥6.30

77.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.59 ¥3.96

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.54 ¥3.63

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.05 ¥20.39

26.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.52 ¥70.3

30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.74 ¥4.93

124.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.64 ¥10.96

46.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.29 ¥1.96

327.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$16.43 ¥110

376.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.43 ¥9.54

-10.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.36 ¥2.38

497.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$6.57 ¥43.90

27.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.13 ¥7.54

19.47%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.1K ¥127.9K

81.73%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$17.4K ¥116.5K

99.03%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$45.68 ¥305

264.82%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$9.85 ¥65.8

38.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$11.86 ¥79.3

145.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$41.22 ¥276

9.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$13.86 ¥92.7

23.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.82 ¥38.92

19.76%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$334 ¥2,231

136.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$16.5K ¥110.6K

-45.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$42.93 ¥287

104.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$30.21 ¥202

92.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$71.7 ¥479

93.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$72.1 ¥482

37.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$280 ¥1,875

266.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$190 ¥1,268

226.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$590 ¥3,942

219.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$358 ¥2,394

181.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,020 ¥20.2K

32.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,070 ¥13.8K

-17.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 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 19, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Cixi

$190 26.7% 69.4% $430

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Cixi

$197 27.8% 33.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Cixi

$67 9.5% 67.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 43.5% $75

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 50.8% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 78.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Cixi

$53 7.5% 10.5% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $280 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $21.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $197 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

10:19 10:19 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,829,488

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 →

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Medellin Cixi 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cixi

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 129% 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 $2,437 in Medellin and $1,064 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $280 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $334 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Cixi versus $1,625 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 $709 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 129% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.