Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $815 in Dongguan.

Medellin $1,625
Dongguan $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,295 in Dongguan.

Medellin $2,412
Dongguan $1,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,775 in Dongguan.

Medellin $3,199
Dongguan $1,775

Living in Medellin is roughly 99% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Dongguan is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.64 ¥17.64

214.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.83 ¥153

105.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.20 ¥34.75

77.69%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.61 ¥17.44

16.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.48 ¥3.18

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.31 ¥2.09

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.88 ¥5.90

268.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.23 ¥14.88

149.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.59 ¥10.61

-5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.63 ¥10.93

45.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.97 ¥6.50

75.26%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.59 ¥10.66

86.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$21.14 ¥141

-51.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.28 ¥21.96

196.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$14.27 ¥95.4

-2.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.25 ¥15.03

83.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.56 ¥10.45

-1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.85 ¥12.39

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.49 ¥9.98

52.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.04 ¥6.95

91.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.24 ¥8.30

34.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.56 ¥3.75

110.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.58 ¥3.90

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.45 ¥29.79

-13.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$12.18 ¥81.5

13.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.92 ¥6.17

80.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.76 ¥11.74

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.35 ¥2.37

254.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$22.38 ¥150

249.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.18 ¥7.86

8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.41 ¥2.75

424.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$4.44 ¥29.68

88.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.31 ¥8.77

3.05%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

80.13%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$17.6K ¥117.9K

96.63%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$63.1 ¥422

164.31%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$9.11 ¥60.9

49.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$12.96 ¥86.7

124.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$51.6 ¥345

-12.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$16.09 ¥108

6.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$7.53 ¥50.3

-7.44%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$531 ¥3,550

48.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$24.3K ¥162.8K

-62.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$46.78 ¥313

87.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$40.30 ¥269

44.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.5 ¥485

91.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$39.04 ¥261

153.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$380 ¥2,538

170.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$219 ¥1,461

183.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$662 ¥4,423

184.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$431 ¥2,884

133.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$5,650 ¥37.8K

-29.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$3,075 ¥20.6K

-44.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$856 ¥5,725

-22.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.35

226.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Dongguan

$219 26.8% 64.7% $401

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Dongguan

$248 30.4% 16.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Dongguan

$85 10.5% 59.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Dongguan

$89 11% 48.2% $83

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Dongguan

$80 9.8% 53.2% $91

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 71.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Dongguan

$67 8.2% 13% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $380 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dongguan pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $23.00 in Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $248 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

02:01 2:01 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,254,100

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Dongguan 16,600 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dongguan

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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 99% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Dongguan. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $380 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 249% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $531 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dongguan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.