Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Daegu

For one person, living is cheaper in Daegu: $1,569 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
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Daegu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Daegu

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,569 in Daegu, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Daegu $1,569

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,404 in Daegu, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Daegu $2,404

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,239 in Daegu, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Daegu $3,239

Medellin costs about 5% more than Daegu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Daegu sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Daegu by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.14 ₩12.2K

-11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$37.29 ₩49.7K

26.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.43 ₩7,246

74.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.05 ₩5,397

-25.68%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.58 ₩2,112

13.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.91 ₩1,218

54.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.80 ₩5,062

-16.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.22 ₩6,958

10.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.51 ₩3,353

-39.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$4.35 ₩5,799

-45.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.70 ₩3,599

-34.44%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.83 ₩3,779

2.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.30 ₩13.7K

-1.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.12 ₩9,500

38.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$21.04 ₩28.1K

-33.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$6.57 ₩8,762

-39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.67 ₩3,565

-41.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$5.54 ₩7,391

-60.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$5.82 ₩7,760

-62.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.68 ₩3,568

-26.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.14 ₩2,853

-25.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$4.44 ₩5,916

-74.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.40 ₩1,862

-11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.97 ₩3,954

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$15.03 ₩20.0K

-8.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.26 ₩3,007

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.38 ₩3,175

-5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.16 ₩1,552

0.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$76.3 ₩101.7K

1.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.24 ₩4,320

-60.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.62 ₩821

230.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.18 ₩10.9K

4.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.30 ₩1,735

3.85%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$28.5K ₩37.9M

19.73%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$40.9K ₩54.6M

-15.32%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$279 ₩372.2K

-39.22%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$50.1 ₩66.8K

-72.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$47.19 ₩62.9K

-40.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$51.6 ₩68.8K

-15.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$11.95 ₩15.9K

43.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.15 ₩14.9K

-38.03%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$530 ₩707.3K

50.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$28.5K ₩38.0M

-68.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$56.6 ₩75.4K

49.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$50.5 ₩67.4K

14.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$96.4 ₩128.5K

40.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$170 ₩227.3K

-42.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$425 ₩567.4K

183.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$272 ₩362.6K

135.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,042 ₩1.4M

94.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$606 ₩808.8K

66.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$7,269 ₩9.7M

-42.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,404 ₩7.2M

-64.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,451 ₩3.3M

-73.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.07

115.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Daegu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Daegu

$272 17.3% 57.6% $370

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Daegu

$413 26.4% 39.2% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Daegu

$376 24% 78.2% $165

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Daegu

$177 11.3% 4.6% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Daegu

$168 10.7% 0.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Daegu

$87 5.6% 6.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Daegu

$74 4.7% 28.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $425 in Daegu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Daegu are about 3.7 times higher, 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 in Medellin versus $37 in Daegu. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $413 in Daegu – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Daegu

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

17:00 5:00 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,528,933

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,488 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Daegu 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Daegu

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 Daegu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,569 in Daegu – Daegu comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,353 in Daegu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daegu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $37 in Daegu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,569 in Daegu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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