Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gwangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwangju: $1,329 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gwangju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,329 in Gwangju.

Medellin $1,614
Gwangju $1,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,038 in Gwangju.

Medellin $2,402
Gwangju $2,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,747 in Gwangju.

Medellin $3,190
Gwangju $2,747

Living in Medellin is roughly 21% more expensive than in Gwangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Gwangju is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$5.98 ₩7,948

32.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$34.07 ₩45.3K

35.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.12 ₩8,131

55.23%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.25 ₩4,317

-4.31%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.60 ₩2,127

14.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.63 ₩837

119.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.48 ₩3,297

22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.52 ₩6,008

21.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.71 ₩2,269

-15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.37 ₩3,153

-0.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.26 ₩3,009

-25.66%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.74 ₩3,639

4.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.85 ₩11.8K

15.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.97 ₩10.6K

19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.26 ₩15.0K

24.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$5.15 ₩6,854

-20.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$3.04 ₩4,037

-50.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.76 ₩5,002

-42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.04 ₩4,037

-24.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$3.57 ₩4,747

-45.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.89 ₩2,515

-13.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.00 ₩2,663

-43.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.35 ₩1,791

-7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.45 ₩4,584

15.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$11.10 ₩14.8K

20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.46 ₩1,935

16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.27 ₩3,024

4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.06 ₩1,410

14.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$68.2 ₩90.6K

12.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$3.18 ₩4,223

-58.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.62 ₩821

245.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$7.79 ₩10.4K

8.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.22 ₩1,616

6.56%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$28.0K ₩37.3M

-0.15%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$35.3K ₩46.9M

0.34%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$210 ₩279.5K

-18.15%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$43.76 ₩58.2K

-69.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$21.18 ₩28.2K

35.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$51.7 ₩68.7K

-12.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$11.71 ₩15.6K

45.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$11.25 ₩15.0K

-44.18%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$300 ₩399.0K

156.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$17.9K ₩23.8M

-49.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$31.74 ₩42.2K

172.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$26.01 ₩34.6K

119.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$63.6 ₩84.5K

114.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$88.6 ₩117.8K

10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$495 ₩657.9K

113.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$363 ₩482.7K

69.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,164 ₩1.5M

62.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$747 ₩992.8K

36.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$7,812 ₩10.4M

-48.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$6,383 ₩8.5M

-73.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,883 ₩3.8M

-77.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.6

203.89%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gwangju: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Gwangju

$363 27.3% 41% $253

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Gwangju

$308 23.2% 4.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Gwangju

$275 20.7% 28.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Gwangju

$94 7.1% 44.5% $76

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Gwangju

$135 10.2% 19.5% $33

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Gwangju

$79 5.9% 15.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Gwangju

$74 5.6% 28.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $495 in Gwangju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwangju pays 342% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $34.00 in Gwangju. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $308, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,467,996

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Gwangju 14,840 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Gwangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwangju is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 342% lower in Gwangju. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $495 in Gwangju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gwangju – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $1,329 in Gwangju – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,329 in Gwangju versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gwangju but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Gwangju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gwangju is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Gwangju are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gwangju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.