Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $655 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guilin

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $655 in Guilin, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Guilin $655

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,046 in Guilin, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Guilin $1,046

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,436 in Guilin, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Guilin $1,436

Medellin costs about 150% more than Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Guilin is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.21 ¥14.67

266.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$15.11 ¥100

211.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.02 ¥20.02

214.57%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.07 ¥13.71

45.41%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.40 ¥2.65

350.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.31 ¥2.08

354.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$0.83 ¥5.53

283.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.14 ¥14.21

168.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.48 ¥9.79

2.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.30 ¥8.62

83.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$0.63 ¥4.18

180.95%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.76 ¥11.67

64.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.08 ¥86.8

-22.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.29 ¥21.83

200.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.43 ¥75.9

22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.51 ¥10.04

162.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.21 ¥8.04

28.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.06 ¥7.04

105.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$0.92 ¥6.09

136.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.71 ¥4.69

176.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.90 ¥5.99

76.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.56 ¥3.75

105.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.43 ¥2.86

188.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.84 ¥25.50

3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.65 ¥70.7

28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.86 ¥5.71

93.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.53 ¥10.14

47.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.29 ¥1.92

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$17.76 ¥118

335.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.38 ¥9.17

-7.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.31 ¥2.06

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.12 ¥53.9

5.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.17 ¥7.76

15.38%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$19.5K ¥129.2K

74.99%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$18.0K ¥119.3K

92.80%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$24.16 ¥160

602.19%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$5.06 ¥33.59

167.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$11.06 ¥73.4

153.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$41.98 ¥279

4.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.59 ¥96.8

17.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.12 ¥34.00

34.96%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$468 ¥3,107

70.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$18.8K ¥124.6K

-51.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$42.25 ¥280

100.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$32.05 ¥213

80.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$75.2 ¥499

79.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$75.0 ¥498

30.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$281 ¥1,868

329.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$186 ¥1,234

244.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$597 ¥3,962

239.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$362 ¥2,399

179.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,368 ¥9,079

204.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,942 ¥12.9K

-1.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$485 ¥3,217

35.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.36

225.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Guilin

$186 28.4% 71% $456

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Guilin

$191 29.1% 35.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Guilin

$40 6.2% 80.9% $171

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Guilin

$63 9.6% 63% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Guilin

$101 15.4% 40.2% $68

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Guilin

$22 3.3% 76.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Guilin

$52 8% 9.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $281 in Guilin. 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 36% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $15 in Guilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $191 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

22:07 10:07 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,931,137

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Guilin 16,450 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Guilin

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 Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $983 in Guilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guilin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $281 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $15 in Guilin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $655 in Guilin. That makes Guilin about 60% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guilin, where all-in costs run around $655, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Guilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Guilin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.