Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Heyuan $1,776

Medellin costs about 105% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Heyuan is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$3.06 ¥20.39

171.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$29.30 ¥195

60.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$5.34 ¥35.60

73.03%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$3.06 ¥20.42

-0.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.58 ¥3.86

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$0.34 ¥2.24

305.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.36 ¥9.09

138.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.75 ¥18.33

102.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.79 ¥11.93

-16.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,446

$1.91 ¥12.72

24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$1.11 ¥7.37

53.15%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$1.52 ¥10.17

94.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$16.29 ¥109

-37.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$5.14 ¥34.29

89.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$12.23 ¥81.6

13.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$2.29 ¥15.25

80.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.22 ¥8.16

25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$1.38 ¥9.20

60.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$1.78 ¥11.86

27.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$0.96 ¥6.39

107.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$1.18 ¥7.90

41.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.83 ¥5.54

42.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$0.66 ¥4.43

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$3.90 ¥25.98

-0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$10.64 ¥70.9

29.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$1.02 ¥6.77

62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$1.90 ¥12.68

26.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.31 ¥2.09

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

$17.71 ¥118

341.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$1.84 ¥12.29

-30.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.43 ¥2.88

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$7.19 ¥47.93

16.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.33 ¥8.86

1.50%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$19.2K ¥127.8K

81.49%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.7K ¥118.3K

95.50%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$61.4 ¥409

171.59%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$16.39 ¥109

-16.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$14.49 ¥96.6

100.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$41.17 ¥275

9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$15.11 ¥101

13.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$6.54 ¥43.61

6.57%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$422 ¥2,816

87.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$24.4K ¥163.0K

-63.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$49.24 ¥328

78.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$41.47 ¥277

40.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$81.1 ¥541

71.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$69.9 ¥466

41.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$303 ¥2,021

239.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$182 ¥1,215

240.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$623 ¥4,155

201.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$375 ¥2,501

168.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$3,487 ¥23.3K

14.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,937 ¥12.9K

-12.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,362 ¥9,082

-51.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.38

223.67%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Heyuan

$182 23% 70.6% $437

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 19.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 56% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 37% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 45.5% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 75.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 8.1% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $303 in Heyuan. 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 105% higher in Heyuan, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,953,019

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,535 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Heyuan 16,500 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Heyuan

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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $792 in Heyuan – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 25% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $792 in Heyuan to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Heyuan. 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.