Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,522 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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 Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gongju

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Gongju $1,522

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Gongju $2,522

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Gongju $3,522

Medellin costs about 11% more than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Gongju sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Gongju by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.24 ₩9,708

15.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$47.72 ₩64.0K

-2.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.68 ₩8,956

41.77%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.70 ₩4,961

-15.41%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.80 ₩2,417

-1.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$1.38 ₩1,850

2.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.65 ₩4,898

-13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.18 ₩5,606

36.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.34 ₩3,132

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$3.22 ₩4,320

-28.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$3.03 ₩4,061

-35.97%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.68 ₩3,590

14.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$10.83 ₩14.5K

-7.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$10.45 ₩14.0K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$24.97 ₩33.5K

-44.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-63.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$3.65 ₩4,895

-58.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$8.16 ₩10.9K

-74.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$6.03 ₩8,082

-62.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$5.80 ₩7,773

-63.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$3.25 ₩4,350

-47.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$2.86 ₩3,828

-59.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.27 ₩1,705

24.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.41 ₩4,575

14.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$18.26 ₩24.5K

-23.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$2.38 ₩3,185

-26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$3.60 ₩4,827

-24.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.20 ₩1,605

-1.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$3.64 ₩4,875

-50.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.67 ₩895

217.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$14.65 ₩19.6K

-44.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.39 ₩1,868

-7.91%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$39.8K ₩53.3M

-13.37%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$33.7K ₩45.1M

1.43%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$200 ₩268.6K

-11.29%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$36.89 ₩49.5K

-62.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$26.87 ₩36.0K

14.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$58.3 ₩78.1K

-28.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$15.41 ₩20.7K

9.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-36.53%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$636 ₩853.1K

24.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$21.6K ₩28.9M

-43.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$105 ₩140.8K

-17.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$64.5 ₩86.4K

-8.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$92.4 ₩123.9K

49.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$128 ₩171.6K

-22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$424 ₩567.9K

216.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$343 ₩459.4K

94.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,406 ₩1.9M

40.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$936 ₩1.3M

10.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$6,877 ₩9.2M

-40.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$5,486 ₩7.4M

-64.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,309 ₩1.8M

-50.62%

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 Gongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Gongju

$343 22.5% 48.6% $324

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Gongju

$484 31.8% 57.5% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Gongju

$264 17.4% 18.8% $42

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Gongju

$162 10.6% 6.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Gongju

$175 11.5% 1.9% $3.2

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 87.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Gongju

$82 5.4% 43.8% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $424 in Gongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gongju are about 2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $48 in Gongju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $484 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

110,428

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Gongju 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,522 in Gongju – Gongju comes out roughly 10% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,283 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $636 in Gongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,522 in Gongju. That makes Gongju about 10% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,522 in Gongju, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gongju – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.