Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Daejeon

For one person, living is cheaper in Daejeon: $1,365 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
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Daejeon Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Daejeon

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,365 in Daejeon, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Daejeon $1,365

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,140 in Daejeon, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Daejeon $2,140

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,915 in Daejeon, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Daejeon $2,915

Medellin costs about 20% more than Daejeon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.62 ₩10.2K

6.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$37.50 ₩50.0K

25.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.66 ₩7,554

67.84%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.75 ₩5,001

-19.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.22 ₩1,624

47.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.69 ₩920

104.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.69 ₩4,926

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.82 ₩5,094

50.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.11 ₩2,809

-28.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.80 ₩3,739

-15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.68 ₩3,573

-33.96%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.62 ₩3,491

10.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.27 ₩15.0K

-9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.29 ₩11.1K

19.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$20.93 ₩27.9K

-33.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$11.19 ₩14.9K

-64.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$5.54 ₩7,393

-72.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$5.82 ₩7,761

-62.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$6.06 ₩8,079

-64.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$5.21 ₩6,947

-62.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.87 ₩3,826

-44.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.72 ₩2,296

-33.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.09 ₩1,449

13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.50 ₩4,668

13.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$18.83 ₩25.1K

-27.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.66 ₩3,548

-37.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.45 ₩4,601

-34.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.15 ₩1,529

1.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$11.53 ₩15.4K

571.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.29 ₩4,382

-61.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.73 ₩975

180.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.77 ₩22.4K

-49.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.24 ₩1,649

8.87%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.0K ₩38.7M

17.54%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.4K ₩31.2M

48.19%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$173 ₩230.6K

-1.91%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$43.00 ₩57.3K

-68.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$22.62 ₩30.2K

24.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$33.83 ₩45.1K

29.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.39 ₩15.2K

-39.33%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$302 ₩402.7K

163.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$21.9K ₩29.2M

-58.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$65.3 ₩87.1K

29.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$40.89 ₩54.5K

41.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$93.9 ₩125.2K

43.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$107 ₩142.6K

-8.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$371 ₩495.3K

225.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$301 ₩401.8K

112.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,041 ₩1.4M

94.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$612 ₩815.6K

65.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,603 ₩7.5M

-25.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,492 ₩6.0M

-57.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,366 ₩3.2M

-72.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.65

199.73%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Daejeon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Daejeon

$301 22.1% 53% $340

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Daejeon

$450 33% 51.6% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Daejeon

$239 17.5% 12.9% $27

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Daejeon

$157 11.5% 7.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Daejeon

$138 10.1% 18.2% $31

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Daejeon

$23 1.7% 75.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Daejeon

$57 4.2% 1.6% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $371 in Daejeon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Daejeon are about 3.6 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 Daejeon. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $450 in Daejeon – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,537,324

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Daejeon 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Daejeon

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 Daejeon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 20% more than Daejeon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,047 in Daejeon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daejeon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $371 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,365 in Daejeon. That makes Daejeon about 17% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Daejeon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,365 in Daejeon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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