Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Huizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Huizhou: $774 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Huizhou
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Huizhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Huizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Huizhou

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $774 in Huizhou, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Huizhou $774

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,197 in Huizhou, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Huizhou $1,197

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,620 in Huizhou, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Huizhou $1,620

Medellin costs about 108% more than Huizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Huizhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.29 ¥15.31

246.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$17.54 ¥117

163.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$5.15 ¥34.46

84.47%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$2.95 ¥19.74

5.42%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$0.57 ¥3.84

221.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,373

$0.29 ¥1.91

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$1.02 ¥6.82

199.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$1.68 ¥11.22

227.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.86 ¥12.43

-22.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$1.57 ¥10.53

50.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$1.10 ¥7.34

52.73%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$1.58 ¥10.57

81.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$7.80 ¥52.2

30.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$4.28 ¥28.62

122.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$11.92 ¥79.7

17.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.83 ¥12.25

122.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.24 ¥8.30

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$1.25 ¥8.38

73.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$1.41 ¥9.43

63.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$0.93 ¥6.22

107.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$1.19 ¥7.93

37.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$0.67 ¥4.47

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$0.49 ¥3.26

155.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$3.05 ¥20.37

30.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$10.80 ¥72.2

23.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$1.06 ¥7.10

60.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

$1.67 ¥11.14

41.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$0.31 ¥2.08

290.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

$18.02 ¥120

324.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,192

$1.03 ¥6.86

28.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$0.40 ¥2.70

435.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$3.81 ¥25.46

122.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.18 ¥7.90

10.17%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$19.6K ¥130.8K

43.12%

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$15.5K ¥103.5K

128.77%

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

$172 COP 547.3K

$50.6 ¥339

239.90%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$11.45 ¥76.6

16.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$9.80 ¥65.5

193.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

$40.90 ¥274

10.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

$15.01 ¥100

13.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$6.70 ¥44.80

-6.27%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$418 ¥2,797

84.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$21.3K ¥142.3K

-57.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$49.19 ¥329

75.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$41.73 ¥279

36.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$83.5 ¥558

63.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$70.5 ¥471

38.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$212 ¥1,420

396.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$237 ¥1,582

160.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$392 ¥2,621

382.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$419 ¥2,803

144.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,269 ¥15.2K

78.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,182 ¥7,907

41.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$860 ¥5,750

-24.13%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Huizhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Huizhou

$237 30.5% 61.6% $379

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Huizhou

$198 25.6% 32.7% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Huizhou

$72 9.3% 66.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Huizhou

$110 14.2% 35.2% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Huizhou

$81 10.5% 51.8% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Huizhou

$22 2.9% 76.1% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Huizhou

$54 7% 6.1% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $212 in Huizhou. 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 32% higher in Huizhou, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $18.00 in Huizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $198 – making Huizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Huizhou

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

12:22 12:22 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,597,002

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Huizhou 16,570 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Huizhou

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 Huizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $774 in Huizhou – roughly 108% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,162 in Huizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huizhou, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $18.00 in Huizhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $774 in Huizhou. That's a gap of about 108%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Huizhou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Huizhou 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 $774 in Huizhou to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Huizhou. 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.