Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gyeonggi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeonggi: $1,084 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Gyeonggi

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,084

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gyeonggi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,084 in Gyeonggi.

Medellin $1,639
Gyeonggi $1,084

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,107 in Gyeonggi.

Medellin $2,413
Gyeonggi $2,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,129 in Gyeonggi.

Medellin $3,186
Gyeonggi $3,129

Living in Medellin is roughly 51% more expensive than in Gyeonggi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.51 ₩10.0K

7.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$60.3 ₩80.5K

-21.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$6.12 ₩8,172

55.23%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.94 ₩5,259

-23.60%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.18 ₩1,571

52.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.73 ₩969

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.45 ₩4,606

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.08 ₩4,117

86.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.86 ₩2,483

-18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$11.11 ₩14.8K

-64.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$3.82 ₩5,104

-59.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$7.76 ₩10.4K

-71.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.24 ₩4,332

-60.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.62 ₩823

230.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.41 ₩1,880

-4.26%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$195 ₩260.0K

-12.88%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$40.69 ₩54.3K

-66.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$21.48 ₩28.7K

30.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$57.0 ₩76.2K

-23.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.24 ₩13.7K

-32.52%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$60.5 ₩80.8K

39.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$42.02 ₩56.1K

37.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$85.4 ₩114.0K

58.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$533 ₩712.1K

126.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$374 ₩498.8K

71.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,164 ₩2.9M

-6.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,533 ₩2.0M

-34.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,228 ₩3.0M

-70.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.5

212.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gyeonggi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Gyeonggi

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Gyeonggi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Gyeonggi

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Gyeonggi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Gyeonggi

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Gyeonggi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Gyeonggi

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $533 in Gyeonggi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gyeonggi pays about 3.4 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 $60 in Gyeonggi. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $128, with Gyeonggi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Gyeonggi

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

19:44 7:44 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,234,582

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Gyeonggi 14,630 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Gyeonggi

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 Gyeonggi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gyeonggi is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $533 in Gyeonggi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $60 in Gyeonggi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,084 in Gyeonggi versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gyeonggi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Gyeonggi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.