Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dalian

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $917 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dalian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $917 in Dalian.

Medellin $1,639
Dalian $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,453 in Dalian.

Medellin $2,413
Dalian $1,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,989 in Dalian.

Medellin $3,186
Dalian $1,989

Living in Medellin is roughly 79% more expensive than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Dalian is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.66 ¥24.36

121.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$25.01 ¥166

88.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.38 ¥35.82

76.58%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.43 ¥22.82

-12.24%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.48 ¥3.19

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.23 ¥1.52

513.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$0.99 ¥6.57

221.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.51 ¥10.05

280.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.64 ¥10.91

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.50 ¥9.95

58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.95 ¥6.33

86.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.57 ¥10.46

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$20.12 ¥134

-49.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.50 ¥23.32

182.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$12.81 ¥85.2

9.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.28 ¥8.55

210.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.09 ¥7.25

42.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.97 ¥13.08

10.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.89 ¥5.94

144.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.89 ¥5.92

120.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.69 ¥4.58

130.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.31 ¥8.71

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.63 ¥4.19

96.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.83 ¥25.46

3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$15.01 ¥99.9

-8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.12 ¥7.46

48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.86 ¥12.36

21.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.29 ¥1.92

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$29.71 ¥198

160.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.54 ¥10.25

-17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.43 ¥2.86

376.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.24 ¥28.23

101.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.27 ¥8.44

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.2K ¥127.7K

77.47%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$17.3K ¥115.3K

100.05%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$66.0 ¥439

157.12%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.51 ¥63.3

42.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$13.65 ¥90.8

105.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$40.42 ¥269

8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$36.60 ¥244

-53.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.94 ¥46.21

-0.43%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$403 ¥2,678

97.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$20.6K ¥137.1K

-55.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$76.0 ¥505

11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$55.9 ¥372

3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$112 ¥746

20.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$121 ¥808

-19.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$406 ¥2,703

197.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$238 ¥1,583

169.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$701 ¥4,666

189.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$450 ¥2,992

125.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,636 ¥17.5K

58.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,644 ¥10.9K

16.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,077 ¥7,168

-39.00%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Dalian: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Dalian

$238 26% 62.9% $404

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Dalian

$239 26.1% 19.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Dalian

$89 9.7% 57.8% $122

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Dalian

$97 10.6% 42.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Dalian

$164 17.9% 2.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Dalian

$35 3.8% 63.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Dalian

$54 5.9% 5.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $406 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 64% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $25 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $239 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,450,785

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Dalian 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dalian

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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $917 in Dalian, so Dalian is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $406 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $403 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $917 in Dalian versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.