Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Harbin

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,166 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
Learn more

Harbin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Harbin

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,166 in Harbin, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Harbin $1,166

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,617 in Harbin, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Harbin $1,617

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,069 in Harbin, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Harbin $2,069

Medellin costs about 39% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Harbin is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.30 ¥15.36

260.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.57 ¥151

107.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.51 ¥36.87

67.70%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.94 ¥19.69

3.74%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.47 ¥3.14

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.28 ¥1.89

392.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.85 ¥5.68

281.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.67 ¥11.18

232.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.99 ¥13.32

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.01 ¥13.41

17.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.97 ¥6.49

75.26%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.38 ¥9.26

114.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.24 ¥61.8

10.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.56 ¥17.13

280.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.84 ¥79.2

17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.62 ¥10.85

154.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.33 ¥8.90

15.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.22 ¥8.18

81.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.95 ¥6.37

138.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.54 ¥3.62

268.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.52 ¥10.18

9.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.47 ¥3.15

151.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.79 ¥5.28

56.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.56 ¥17.14

51.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$17.89 ¥120

-22.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.58 ¥3.91

186.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.55 ¥10.35

54.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.31 ¥2.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$11.14 ¥74.5

602.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.33 ¥8.89

-3.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.29 ¥1.94

641.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.65 ¥24.43

129.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.29 ¥8.65

4.65%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

79.27%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$15.6K ¥104.2K

122.51%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$75.3 ¥503

121.40%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$14.46 ¥96.7

-5.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$12.39 ¥82.9

135.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$84.0 ¥562

-46.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$29.73 ¥199

-42.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.97 ¥39.90

16.75%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$300 ¥2,004

163.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$10.4K ¥69.3K

-12.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$30.31 ¥203

189.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$30.23 ¥202

92.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.2 ¥483

92.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$302 ¥2,020

-67.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$327 ¥2,186

214.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$467 ¥3,121

32.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,337 ¥8,941

40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$522 ¥3,492

92.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,220 ¥21.5K

23.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,357 ¥9,074

25.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$591 ¥3,949

12.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.92

179.08%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Harbin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Harbin

$467 40.1% 24.6% $153

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Harbin

$209 17.9% 29.8% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Harbin

$102 8.8% 51.2% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Harbin

$196 16.8% 13.3% $23

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Harbin

$81 6.9% 52.7% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Harbin

$15 1.3% 84.1% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Harbin

$96 8.2% 62.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $327 in Harbin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $23.00 in Harbin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $209 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Harbin

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

21:19 9:19 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,009,854

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Harbin 13,820 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Harbin

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 Harbin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 39% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,748 in Harbin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harbin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $23.00 in Harbin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,166 in Harbin. That's a gap of about 39%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Harbin, where all-in costs run around $1,166, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Harbin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Harbin costs $1,166 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Harbin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.