Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gimhae

For one person, living is cheaper in Gimhae: $1,553 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
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Gimhae Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gimhae

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,553 in Gimhae.

Medellin $1,692
Gimhae $1,553

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,462 in Gimhae.

Medellin $2,471
Gimhae $2,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,371 in Gimhae.

Medellin $3,249
Gimhae $3,371

Living in Medellin is roughly 9% more expensive than in Gimhae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Gimhae 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.61 ₩10.2K

9.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$49.21 ₩66.0K

-5.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.69 ₩8,970

41.55%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.76 ₩5,037

-16.76%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.87 ₩2,510

-5.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$1.39 ₩1,865

2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.76 ₩5,041

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.39 ₩5,882

29.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.31 ₩3,102

-33.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$3.24 ₩4,344

-29.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$3.05 ₩4,093

-36.39%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.61 ₩3,504

17.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$11.14 ₩14.9K

-10.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$10.49 ₩14.1K

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$24.45 ₩32.8K

-42.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$10.94 ₩14.7K

-62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$3.55 ₩4,758

-56.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$8.18 ₩11.0K

-74.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$5.84 ₩7,826

-60.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$6.03 ₩8,079

-65.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$3.29 ₩4,415

-48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$2.75 ₩3,686

-57.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.33 ₩1,785

18.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.26 ₩4,373

19.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$18.65 ₩25.0K

-24.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$2.37 ₩3,174

-25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$3.53 ₩4,732

-23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.21 ₩1,621

-2.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$3.47 ₩4,653

-47.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.67 ₩895

217.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$14.75 ₩19.8K

-44.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.27 ₩1,707

0.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$39.7K ₩53.2M

-13.15%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$33.4K ₩44.8M

2.12%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$195 ₩261.8K

-8.98%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$36.82 ₩49.4K

-62.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$27.09 ₩36.3K

13.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$46.27 ₩62.0K

-9.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$15.19 ₩20.4K

10.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.94 ₩16.0K

-37.44%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$630 ₩844.4K

25.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$21.8K ₩29.2M

-43.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$102 ₩137.1K

-15.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$65.1 ₩87.2K

-8.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$93.9 ₩125.9K

47.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$127 ₩169.9K

-22.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$505 ₩676.3K

165.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$388 ₩519.8K

72.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,203 ₩1.6M

64.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$801 ₩1.1M

28.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$7,801 ₩10.5M

-47.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$5,673 ₩7.6M

-65.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,533 ₩3.4M

-74.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.22

159.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gimhae: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Gimhae

$388 25% 41.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Gimhae

$483 31.1% 57.2% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Gimhae

$259 16.7% 16.6% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Gimhae

$167 10.7% 3.4% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Gimhae

$175 11.2% 1.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Gimhae

$12 * 0.8% 87.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Gimhae

$70 4.5% 23.3% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $505 in Gimhae. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gimhae pays about 3.9 times 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 $49 in Gimhae for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $483 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

13:58 1:58 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

532,132

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Gimhae 14,740 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gimhae

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 Gimhae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gimhae wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gimhae the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $505 in Gimhae. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $630 in Gimhae. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $49 in Gimhae. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Gimhae is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.