Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hai Phong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $700 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
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Hai Phong Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hai Phong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $700 in Hai Phong.

Medellin $1,639
Hai Phong $700

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,184 in Hai Phong.

Medellin $2,413
Hai Phong $1,184

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,669 in Hai Phong.

Medellin $3,186
Hai Phong $1,669

Living in Medellin is roughly 134% more expensive than in Hai Phong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Hai Phong is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$1.53 ₫39.5K

428.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$19.32 ₫499.4K

143.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.30 ₫111.2K

120.93%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.83 ₫47.2K

64.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.52 ₫13.4K

246.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.30 ₫7,875

370.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$0.76 ₫19.6K

318.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.54 ₫39.7K

273.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.54 ₫39.7K

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.48 ₫12.4K

395.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.80 ₫20.8K

121.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.47 ₫38.1K

96.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$11.49 ₫297.1K

-11.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.65 ₫94.3K

170.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.95 ₫257.2K

40.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.09 ₫79.8K

28.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.05 ₫27.1K

47.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.28 ₫33.2K

70.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.10 ₫28.3K

98.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.95 ₫24.5K

106.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.20 ₫30.9K

32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.58 ₫15.1K

98.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.55 ₫14.1K

125.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.21 ₫31.4K

227.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.39 ₫294.4K

20.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.75 ₫19.4K

121.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.63 ₫42.2K

38.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.39 ₫10.1K

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$5.78 ₫149.4K

1238.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.80 ₫20.7K

58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.60 ₫15.6K

241.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$1.89 ₫48.9K

352.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.90 ₫23.3K

50.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$30.6K ₫790.1M

11.47%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$28.5K ₫737.7M

21.49%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$45.44 ₫1.2M

273.35%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$5.17 ₫133.6K

162.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$8.79 ₫227.2K

219.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$23.20 ₫599.8K

88.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$7.53 ₫194.7K

128.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.53 ₫117.1K

52.54%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$158 ₫4.1M

405.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$4,692 ₫121.3M

94.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$46.79 ₫1.2M

81.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$21.10 ₫545.5K

174.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$84.6 ₫2.2M

59.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$77.0 ₫2.0M

27.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$248 ₫6.4M

386.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$248 ₫6.4M

158.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,040 ₫26.9M

94.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$638 ₫16.5M

58.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$1,333 ₫34.5M

212.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$970 ₫25.1M

96.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$493 ₫12.7M

33.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

56.29%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hai Phong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hai Phong

$248 35.5% 61.3% $393

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hai Phong

$188 26.9% 36.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hai Phong

$59 8.5% 71.9% $152

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hai Phong

$57 8.2% 66.3% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hai Phong

$103 14.8% 38.9% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hai Phong

$11 1.6% 88.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hai Phong

$32 4.6% 43.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $248 in Hai Phong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $19 in Hai Phong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $188 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,105,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hai Phong 16,990 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $700 in Hai Phong, so Hai Phong is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $248 in Hai Phong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $700 in Hai Phong – Hai Phong is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 93% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $700 in Hai Phong versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hai Phong but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hai Phong 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.

Expats usually find Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.