Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $774 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Fuzhou
Learn more

Fuzhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Fuzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $774 in Fuzhou.

Medellin $1,639
Fuzhou $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,239 in Fuzhou.

Medellin $2,413
Fuzhou $1,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,704 in Fuzhou.

Medellin $3,186
Fuzhou $1,704

Living in Medellin is roughly 112% more expensive than in Fuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Fuzhou is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.07 ¥20.41

163.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$23.58 ¥157

99.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.74 ¥31.57

100.42%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.46 ¥16.37

22.36%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.47 ¥3.11

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.29 ¥1.94

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$0.92 ¥6.15

245.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.84 ¥12.25

212.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.00 ¥13.34

-24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.47 ¥9.81

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.92 ¥6.15

92.39%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.57 ¥10.41

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.66 ¥51.0

33.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.22 ¥14.80

344.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.21 ¥61.3

51.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.86 ¥12.39

113.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.34 ¥8.89

15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.69 ¥11.25

28.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.12 ¥7.48

94.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.90 ¥6.00

117.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.01 ¥6.71

57.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.43 ¥2.89

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.49 ¥3.26

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.95 ¥19.61

34.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.32 ¥75.3

20.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.78 ¥5.22

112.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.22 ¥8.15

85.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.31 ¥2.08

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$23.52 ¥157

228.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.54 ¥10.27

-17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.29 ¥1.92

606.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.26 ¥48.29

17.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.32 ¥8.81

2.27%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.3K ¥128.2K

76.86%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$15.5K ¥103.0K

123.90%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$44.05 ¥293

285.13%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$8.86 ¥59.0

52.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$9.16 ¥61.0

206.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$42.51 ¥283

2.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$15.01 ¥99.9

14.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.41 ¥49.32

-6.75%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$211 ¥1,402

278.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$11.8K ¥78.7K

-22.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$39.65 ¥264

113.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$28.58 ¥190

102.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$92.2 ¥613

46.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$87.1 ¥579

12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$450 ¥2,997

168.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$258 ¥1,720

148.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,013 ¥6,738

100.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$516 ¥3,435

95.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,647 ¥30.9K

-10.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,359 ¥15.7K

-19.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,002 ¥6,666

-34.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.46

216.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fuzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Fuzhou

$258 33.4% 59.7% $383

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Fuzhou

$178 22.9% 40.2% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Fuzhou

$62 8% 70.6% $149

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Fuzhou

$80 10.3% 53.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Fuzhou

$111 14.4% 34.1% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Fuzhou

$28 3.6% 70.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Fuzhou

$57 7.4% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $450 in Fuzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fuzhou pays 52% 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 $24 in Fuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $178 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,291,268

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Fuzhou 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Fuzhou

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 Fuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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 $450 in Fuzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fuzhou – a meal for two runs $24 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $774 in Fuzhou – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.