Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Guangzhou (Canton) $914

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,442 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,971 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971

Medellin costs about 79% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Guangzhou (Canton) is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.03 ¥20.19

167.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$29.73 ¥198

58.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.36 ¥35.72

77.24%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.19 ¥21.24

-5.64%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.54 ¥3.60

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.36 ¥2.43

291.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.31 ¥8.76

142.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.75 ¥18.33

109.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.87 ¥12.48

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.92 ¥12.79

23.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.10 ¥7.31

60.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.56 ¥10.42

85.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$16.83 ¥112

-39.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.18 ¥34.51

90.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$12.00 ¥80.0

16.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.22 ¥14.79

78.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.25 ¥8.34

24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.45 ¥9.66

50.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.72 ¥11.45

26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.95 ¥6.31

106.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.21 ¥8.08

31.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.84 ¥5.59

36.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.71 ¥4.75

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.91 ¥26.09

1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.86 ¥72.4

25.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.02 ¥6.81

62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$1.93 ¥12.84

17.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.44 ¥2.92

165.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$18.29 ¥122

323.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.77 ¥11.78

-28.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.40 ¥2.66

412.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.21 ¥48.09

18.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.37 ¥9.12

-1.46%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.7K ¥131.5K

72.72%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.8K ¥118.9K

94.41%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$60.4 ¥402

181.02%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$16.16 ¥108

-16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$14.47 ¥96.5

93.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$70.9 ¥472

-38.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$12.27 ¥81.8

40.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.53 ¥43.50

5.82%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,612 ¥10.7K

-50.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$24.7K ¥164.6K

-63.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$48.97 ¥326

73.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$40.73 ¥271

42.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$82.1 ¥547

64.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$71.3 ¥475

37.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$509 ¥3,391

137.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$270 ¥1,797

137.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,224 ¥8,158

65.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$500 ¥3,335

102.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$8,271 ¥55.1K

-49.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,705 ¥24.7K

-48.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,269 ¥8,457

-48.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.38

223.67%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5% 58% $372

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5% 18.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10% 56.9% $120

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3% 44.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12% 35.3% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6% 74.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2% 45.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $509 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Guangzhou (Canton), 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 $30 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $242 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

21:05 9:05 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,043,500

💱 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 = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Guangzhou (Canton) 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,371 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $914 in Guangzhou (Canton). That’s a gap of about 79%.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $914, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Guangzhou (Canton) is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 79% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.