Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Huzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Huzhou: $815 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Huzhou
Learn more

Huzhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Huzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Huzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $815 in Huzhou.

Medellin $1,625
Huzhou $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,338 in Huzhou.

Medellin $2,412
Huzhou $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,861 in Huzhou.

Medellin $3,199
Huzhou $1,861

Living in Medellin is roughly 99% more expensive than in Huzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Huzhou is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$4.58 ¥30.58

81.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$30.24 ¥202

55.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$5.09 ¥33.93

81.53%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$3.30 ¥22.02

-7.58%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.62 ¥4.12

190.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$0.35 ¥2.36

294.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.23 ¥8.19

163.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.19 ¥14.59

153.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.84 ¥12.27

-18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,446

$2.00 ¥13.34

18.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$0.98 ¥6.57

73.47%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$1.67 ¥11.14

77.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$17.31 ¥115

-40.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$3.20 ¥21.35

204.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$12.91 ¥86.1

7.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$2.22 ¥14.79

86.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.74 ¥11.64

-12.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$1.97 ¥13.13

12.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$1.67 ¥11.17

35.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$0.80 ¥5.36

148.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$0.98 ¥6.55

70.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.62 ¥4.15

90.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$0.58 ¥3.89

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$3.80 ¥25.36

1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$10.93 ¥72.9

26.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$0.88 ¥5.87

88.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$1.54 ¥10.27

55.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.29 ¥1.91

327.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

$18.52 ¥124

322.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$2.12 ¥14.13

-39.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.43 ¥2.90

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$9.12 ¥60.9

-8.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.34 ¥8.95

0.75%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$19.7K ¥131.3K

76.58%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.9K ¥119.7K

93.35%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$58.6 ¥391

184.29%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$8.07 ¥53.9

68.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$10.71 ¥71.4

171.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$38.06 ¥254

18.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$16.73 ¥112

2.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$9.00 ¥60.1

-22.56%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$394 ¥2,625

100.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$27.8K ¥185.5K

-67.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$55.0 ¥367

59.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$37.51 ¥250

55.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$74.7 ¥498

86.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$107 ¥714

-7.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$299 ¥1,997

243.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$191 ¥1,275

224.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$606 ¥4,044

210.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$411 ¥2,742

145.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$3,370 ¥22.5K

18.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,908 ¥12.7K

-10.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,184 ¥7,898

-43.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.36

225.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Huzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Huzhou

$191 23.5% 69.2% $428

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Huzhou

$237 29.1% 20.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Huzhou

$77 9.5% 63% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Huzhou

$123 15.2% 28.6% $49

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Huzhou

$106 13% 38% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Huzhou

$24 2.9% 74.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Huzhou

$56 6.9% 5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $299 in Huzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Huzhou pays 79% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $30.00 in Huzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $237 per month, with Huzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Huzhou

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

23:51 11:51 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,893,542

💱 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 Huzhou 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Huzhou

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 Huzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 99% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Huzhou. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $299 in Huzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Huzhou – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $815 in Huzhou versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Huzhou but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Huzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Huzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Huzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.