Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hua-lien Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hua-lien

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,681 in Medellin versus $1,097 in Hua-lien.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,445 in Medellin versus $1,856 in Hua-lien.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,210 in Medellin versus $2,615 in Hua-lien.

Living in Medellin is roughly 53% more expensive than in Hua-lien, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 23% above, Hua-lien is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.02 COP 25.0K

$4.16 NT$132

92.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.87 COP 149.4K

$28.51 NT$907

67.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 COP 30.8K

$4.23 NT$135

133.81%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 9,767

$2.84 NT$90.4

10.21%

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

$1.91 COP 5,954

$0.94 NT$29.92

103.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 COP 4,712

$0.55 NT$17.42

174.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 COP 9,747

$1.38 NT$43.98

126.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 17.9K

$2.10 NT$67.0

173.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,509

$2.82 NT$89.8

-48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 COP 7,759

$1.68 NT$53.4

48.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,535

$4.55 NT$145

-61.10%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,235

$1.90 NT$60.5

55.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 COP 31.4K

$19.71 NT$627

-48.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 COP 31.6K

$6.33 NT$201

59.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 COP 44.6K

$25.80 NT$821

-44.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 COP 12.9K

$2.69 NT$85.6

53.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 COP 5,019

$2.60 NT$82.7

-38.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,007

$3.28 NT$104

-31.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,028

$3.20 NT$102

-29.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 COP 6,375

$2.34 NT$74.4

-12.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,790

$2.45 NT$77.9

-37.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,651

$2.02 NT$64.2

-42.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 COP 4,077

$0.91 NT$29.12

43.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 COP 12.2K

$3.87 NT$123

0.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.7K

$12.61 NT$401

11.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 COP 5,439

$1.98 NT$63.1

-12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 COP 8,956

$2.36 NT$75.0

21.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 COP 3,792

$0.61 NT$19.34

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.5 COP 251.1K

$35.79 NT$1,139

124.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,084

$3.24 NT$103

-59.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 COP 6,825

$0.31 NT$9.86

606.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 COP 27.2K

$10.36 NT$330

-15.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 COP 4,260

$0.89 NT$28.23

53.93%

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

$27.8K COP 86.9M

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-16.48%

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

$35.8K COP 111.6M

$27.3K NT$870.2K

30.86%

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

$177 COP 553.2K

$102 NT$3,232

74.65%

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

$13.88 COP 43.3K

$19.68 NT$626

-29.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.72 COP 92.8K

$12.85 NT$409

131.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.88 COP 140.1K

$36.75 NT$1,170

22.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.12 COP 53.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.7K

$10.10 NT$322

-34.16%

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

$813 COP 2.5M

$754 NT$24.0K

7.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,187 COP 28.7M

$16.9K NT$538.2K

-45.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 COP 279.3K

$58.8 NT$1,872

52.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 COP 184.0K

$35.99 NT$1,146

63.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 431.2K

$80.9 NT$2,575

70.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 318.7K

$106 NT$3,362

-3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 COP 3.3M

$417 NT$13.3K

154.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 COP 2.1M

$253 NT$8,045

162.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,888 COP 5.9M

$983 NT$31.3K

92.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 COP 3.2M

$755 NT$24.0K

36.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,183 COP 13.1M

$7,481 NT$238.1K

-44.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,675 COP 5.2M

$5,013 NT$159.6K

-66.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 COP 2.1M

$2,942 NT$93.7K

-76.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.13

413.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: September 14, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Medellin and $417 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 334% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $29.00 in Hua-lien. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $368, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 334% lower in Hua-lien. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,062 in Medellin versus $417 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $48.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,097 in Hua-lien versus $1,681 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hua-lien delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,097 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hua-lien hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Hua-lien are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.