Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $514 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$514

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jiangmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $514 in Jiangmen.

Medellin $1,639
Jiangmen $514

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,001 in Jiangmen.

Medellin $2,413
Jiangmen $1,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,489 in Jiangmen.

Medellin $3,186
Jiangmen $1,489

Living in Medellin is roughly 219% more expensive than in Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Jiangmen is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.39 ¥22.51

138.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$30.47 ¥203

54.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.23 ¥34.77

81.64%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.20 ¥14.60

36.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.43 ¥2.86

318.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.29 ¥1.90

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$0.88 ¥5.84

261.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.52 ¥10.12

278.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.61 ¥10.73

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.64 ¥10.90

45.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.08 ¥7.19

63.89%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.78 ¥11.83

62.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$21.25 ¥141

-52.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.27 ¥15.11

334.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$13.68 ¥90.9

2.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.14 ¥14.22

85.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.86 ¥5.72

80.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.19 ¥7.91

83.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.44 ¥9.56

51.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.69 ¥4.60

184.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.95 ¥6.32

67.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.31 ¥2.06

270.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.54 ¥3.58

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.05 ¥20.27

29.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.94 ¥79.3

14.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.70 ¥4.64

137.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.81 ¥12.06

24.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.47 ¥3.09

148.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.44 ¥9.55

-11.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.38 ¥2.53

439.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.33 ¥48.69

16.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.35 ¥8.97

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.7K ¥131.1K

72.63%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$17.0K ¥113.2K

103.61%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$49.14 ¥327

245.24%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$8.37 ¥55.6

61.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$12.52 ¥83.2

124.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$30.39 ¥202

43.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$4.52 ¥30.04

280.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.40 ¥42.50

7.97%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$246 ¥1,634

223.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,413 ¥49.3K

22.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$30.30 ¥201

179.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$40.44 ¥269

43.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$73.7 ¥490

83.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$45.73 ¥304

114.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$458 ¥3,040

343.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$274 ¥1,819

269.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$6,218 ¥41.3K

-32.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,273 ¥8,457

50.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$584 ¥3,880

12.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.35

226.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jiangmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Jiangmen

$231 44.9% 22.3% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Jiangmen

$70 13.6% 66.9% $141

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Jiangmen

$79 15.5% 53.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Jiangmen

$86 16.7% 49.3% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Jiangmen

$5.2 * 1% 94.4% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 24.9% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $30 in Jiangmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $231 per month, with Jiangmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

14:00 2:00 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,448,871

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Jiangmen 16,670 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jiangmen

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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $514 in Jiangmen, so Jiangmen is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $246 in Jiangmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiangmen – a meal for two runs $30 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $514 in Jiangmen versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Jiangmen wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.