Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $807 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hanoi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $807 in Hanoi.

Medellin $1,692
Hanoi $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,246 in Hanoi.

Medellin $2,471
Hanoi $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,685 in Hanoi.

Medellin $3,249
Hanoi $1,685

Living in Medellin is roughly 110% more expensive than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Hanoi is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.08 ₫53.5K

300.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$23.54 ₫604.5K

97.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.47 ₫114.7K

111.86%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.91 ₫49.1K

63.87%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.48 ₫12.4K

268.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.33 ₫8,483

330.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.14 ₫29.3K

176.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.96 ₫50.4K

190.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.54 ₫39.7K

-0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.01 ₫25.9K

126.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$0.75 ₫19.3K

158.67%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$1.47 ₫37.7K

108.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$11.47 ₫294.5K

-12.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.68 ₫94.6K

183.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.60 ₫246.6K

45.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.19 ₫82.0K

26.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.02 ₫26.2K

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.35 ₫34.7K

55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.12 ₫28.7K

104.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$0.88 ₫22.7K

139.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.14 ₫29.2K

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.54 ₫13.9K

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.57 ₫14.6K

177.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$1.38 ₫35.5K

183.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$10.73 ₫275.7K

30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$0.88 ₫22.7K

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$1.60 ₫41.0K

69.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.38 ₫9,717

210.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$10.66 ₫273.7K

615.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$0.92 ₫23.6K

96.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.60 ₫15.3K

255.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$2.30 ₫59.0K

253.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.91 ₫23.3K

40.66%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$30.8K ₫791.3M

11.77%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$29.1K ₫746.8M

17.38%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$85.9 ₫2.2M

106.86%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$5.00 ₫128.5K

177.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$8.82 ₫226.5K

248.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$26.37 ₫677.3K

59.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$9.26 ₫237.8K

81.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.70 ₫120.7K

58.94%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$850 ₫21.8M

-7.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$28.9K ₫743.4M

-57.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$46.17 ₫1.2M

87.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$28.06 ₫720.6K

111.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$83.3 ₫2.1M

66.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$72.5 ₫1.9M

36.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$435 ₫11.2M

208.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$293 ₫7.5M

127.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$873 ₫22.4M

126.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$547 ₫14.1M

88.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$5,160 ₫132.5M

-20.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,912 ₫74.8M

-33.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$522 ₫13.4M

23.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.17

33.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hanoi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Hanoi

$293 36.4% 56% $374

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Hanoi

$192 23.8% 37.5% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Hanoi

$100 12.4% 55.1% $123

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Hanoi

$66 8.2% 61.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Hanoi

$104 12.8% 39.9% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Hanoi

$16 2% 82.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Hanoi

$36 4.4% 37.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $435 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 24% 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 $24 in Hanoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $192 per month, with Hanoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

08:52 8:52 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 25,680 VND (100,000 VND = 3.89 USD). 1 EUR = 28,828 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Hanoi 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hanoi

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 Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $807 in Hanoi, so Hanoi is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $435 in Hanoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hanoi runs roughly 86% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $850 in Hanoi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $807 in Hanoi versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hanoi 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 Hanoi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.