Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gyeongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,236 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
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Gyeongju Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gyeongju

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,236 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Gyeongju $1,236

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,053 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Gyeongju $2,053

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,871 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Gyeongju $2,871

Medellin costs about 37% more than Gyeongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Gyeongju is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.38 ₩9,898

13.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$47.59 ₩63.8K

-2.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.45 ₩8,652

46.82%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.99 ₩4,005

4.68%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.13 ₩1,518

56.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.36 ₩482

294.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.62 ₩3,507

20.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.21 ₩5,640

35.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.33 ₩3,117

-34.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$2.53 ₩3,394

-9.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$3.07 ₩4,122

-36.81%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.57 ₩3,450

19.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$10.82 ₩14.5K

-7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$10.34 ₩13.9K

1.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$18.74 ₩25.1K

-25.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.42 ₩5,930

-8.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$2.67 ₩3,577

-42.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$3.73 ₩5,003

-43.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$3.65 ₩4,896

-37.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$2.54 ₩3,406

-16.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$2.27 ₩3,043

-24.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$2.18 ₩2,921

-46.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.31 ₩1,761

20.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.40 ₩4,556

15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$14.95 ₩20.0K

-6.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.09 ₩1,463

61.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.16 ₩2,901

25.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.03 ₩1,379

14.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$2.99 ₩4,014

-39.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.62 ₩828

243.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$15.01 ₩20.1K

-45.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.06 ₩1,417

20.75%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$38.5K ₩51.6M

-10.60%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$33.9K ₩45.5M

0.66%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$79.4 ₩106.5K

123.76%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$36.57 ₩49.0K

-62.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$27.28 ₩36.6K

12.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$54.4 ₩72.9K

-22.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$15.33 ₩20.5K

9.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.20 ₩15.0K

-33.30%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$639 ₩856.6K

23.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$22.0K ₩29.5M

-44.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$44.27 ₩59.4K

95.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$22.44 ₩30.1K

164.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$94.0 ₩126.0K

47.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$124 ₩166.6K

-20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$430 ₩576.0K

212.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$376 ₩504.7K

77.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,151 ₩1.5M

71.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$858 ₩1.2M

20.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$6,043 ₩8.1M

-32.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$6,003 ₩8.0M

-67.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,851 ₩2.5M

-65.09%

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 Gyeongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Gyeongju

$376 30.5% 43.6% $291

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Gyeongju

$359 29.1% 16.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Gyeongju

$143 11.6% 35.6% $79

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Gyeongju

$142 11.5% 17.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Gyeongju

$128 10.4% 25.6% $44

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Gyeongju

$10 * 0.8% 89.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Gyeongju

$77 6.2% 34.9% $20

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 $430 in Gyeongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gyeongju are about 2.9 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 Gyeongju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $359 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

19:28 7:28 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

258,156

💱 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 Gyeongju 14,660 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gyeongju

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 Gyeongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,854 in Gyeongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gyeongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $430 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $639 in Gyeongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gyeongju, where all-in costs run around $1,236, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Gyeongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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