Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fuzhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fuzhou

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Medellin versus $754 in Fuzhou.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,447 in Medellin versus $1,192 in Fuzhou.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,253 in Medellin versus $1,630 in Fuzhou.

Living in Medellin is roughly 118% more expensive than in Fuzhou, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Fuzhou is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 COP 24.8K

$2.90 ¥19.42

177.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.29 COP 148.6K

$23.55 ¥158

105.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 COP 29.0K

$5.10 ¥34.14

84.71%

Cappuccino

$2.94 COP 9,040

$2.53 ¥16.95

16.21%

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

$1.86 COP 5,735

$0.45 ¥3.05

313.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,479

$0.27 ¥1.79

440.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 COP 9,882

$0.88 ¥5.88

264.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 COP 17.6K

$1.77 ¥11.83

222.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,428

$2.08 ¥13.93

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,389

$1.40 ¥9.41

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,228

$0.98 ¥6.59

73.47%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 8,896

$1.56 ¥10.46

85.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 COP 30.9K

$7.28 ¥48.76

38.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 COP 30.7K

$3.01 ¥20.15

231.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 COP 43.7K

$9.06 ¥60.7

56.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 COP 12.3K

$1.82 ¥12.18

118.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 COP 4,878

$1.32 ¥8.85

19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,624

$1.61 ¥10.81

33.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,078

$1.07 ¥7.15

114.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,169

$0.85 ¥5.71

135.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,646

$1.00 ¥6.68

51.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 COP 3,701

$0.43 ¥2.91

179.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 COP 3,946

$0.48 ¥3.22

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 COP 11.8K

$2.93 ¥19.61

31.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.1K

$11.16 ¥74.7

25.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,256

$0.78 ¥5.25

119.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 COP 8,440

$1.22 ¥8.14

124.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,834

$0.31 ¥2.10

303.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 239.7K

$24.00 ¥161

224.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,016

$1.46 ¥9.78

-10.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 COP 6,680

$0.31 ¥2.10

600.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 COP 25.5K

$7.12 ¥47.65

16.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,172

$1.27 ¥8.52

7.09%

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

$27.5K COP 84.5M

$19.1K ¥128.0K

43.79%

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

$36.5K COP 112.4M

$15.4K ¥103.0K

137.62%

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

$169 COP 519.2K

$43.07 ¥288

291.73%

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

$13.57 COP 41.8K

$8.57 ¥57.4

58.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 COP 87.2K

$9.08 ¥60.8

211.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 COP 140.7K

$41.93 ¥281

9.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 COP 53.0K

$14.72 ¥98.6

16.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.5K

$7.66 ¥51.3

-13.19%

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

$803 COP 2.5M

$207 ¥1,389

287.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 COP 28.3M

$12.1K ¥81.0K

-24.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 COP 268.8K

$39.29 ¥263

122.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 COP 182.7K

$28.56 ¥191

107.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 427.5K

$92.9 ¥622

49.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 314.0K

$86.6 ¥580

17.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 COP 3.3M

$439 ¥2,937

144.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.0M

$234 ¥1,570

178.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 COP 5.9M

$1,042 ¥6,977

84.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 COP 3.2M

$462 ¥3,092

126.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 COP 12.7M

$4,616 ¥30.9K

-10.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 COP 5.2M

$2,352 ¥15.7K

-27.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

$1,002 ¥6,711

-34.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.22

239.75%

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

Last update for Medellin: September 7, 2026

Last update for Fuzhou: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,071 in Medellin and $439 in Fuzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fuzhou pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $24.00 in Fuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $179 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

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 118% 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 53% lower in Fuzhou. 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: $1,071 in Medellin versus $439 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 $24.00 versus $48.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,641 per month in Medellin versus $754 in Fuzhou – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $754 in Fuzhou versus $1,641 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Fuzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fuzhou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $754 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fuzhou hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.