Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Huai'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Huai'an: $712 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Huai'an
Learn more

Huai'an Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Huai'an

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Huai'an

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $712 in Huai'an, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Huai'an $712

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,127 in Huai'an, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Huai'an $1,127

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,542 in Huai'an, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Huai'an $1,542

Medellin costs about 127% more than Huai'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Huai'an is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.84 ¥19.02

179.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$21.39 ¥143

115.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.83 ¥32.31

96.69%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.09 ¥20.65

0.65%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.43 ¥2.90

325.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.29 ¥1.96

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$0.88 ¥5.86

246.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.15 ¥14.37

155.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.79 ¥11.97

-18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.55 ¥10.33

52.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.94 ¥6.31

78.72%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.60 ¥10.67

78.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$12.96 ¥86.7

-21.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$3.15 ¥21.09

202.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.15 ¥67.9

38.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.86 ¥12.43

118.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.26 ¥8.44

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.49 ¥9.97

45.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.11 ¥7.39

108.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.73 ¥4.89

164.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.90 ¥6.03

82.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.56 ¥3.72

101.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.50 ¥3.37

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.04 ¥20.33

31.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.38 ¥69.4

28.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.81 ¥5.40

109.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.64 ¥11.00

44.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.27 ¥1.79

348.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$16.42 ¥110

365.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.41 ¥9.43

-6.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.33 ¥2.19

548.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$6.75 ¥45.16

25.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.13 ¥7.54

15.04%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

42.59%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$17.0K ¥113.4K

108.89%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$44.97 ¥301

282.68%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$9.59 ¥64.1

39.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$11.53 ¥77.1

149.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$41.25 ¥276

9.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$14.14 ¥94.5

20.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.85 ¥39.12

7.35%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$338 ¥2,262

127.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$16.8K ¥112.6K

-46.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$44.21 ¥296

95.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$29.84 ¥200

91.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$70.8 ¥473

92.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$72.0 ¥481

36.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$276 ¥1,847

282.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$192 ¥1,283

220.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$598 ¥3,999

216.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$356 ¥2,379

187.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,977 ¥19.9K

36.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,044 ¥13.7K

-17.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.89

181.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Huai'an: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Huai'an

$192 27% 68.8% $424

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Huai'an

$197 27.7% 33% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Huai'an

$66 9.3% 69.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Huai'an

$98 13.7% 42.6% $73

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Huai'an

$86 12.1% 49% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Huai'an

$21 2.9% 78% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Huai'an

$53 7.4% 8.4% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $276 in Huai'an. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $21.00 in Huai'an. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $197 – making Huai'an the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Huai'an

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,799,889

💱 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 Huai'an 15,330 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Huai'an

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 Huai'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,069 in Huai'an. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 49% 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $21.00 in Huai'an. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Huai'an, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Huai'an it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huai'an – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Huai'an. 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.