Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jiaozuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $674 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
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Jiaozuo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jiaozuo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $674 in Jiaozuo.

Medellin $1,625
Jiaozuo $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,059 in Jiaozuo.

Medellin $2,412
Jiaozuo $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,445 in Jiaozuo.

Medellin $3,199
Jiaozuo $1,445

Living in Medellin is roughly 141% more expensive than in Jiaozuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Jiaozuo is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$1.82 ¥12.16

356.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$16.41 ¥110

185.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.59 ¥30.70

101.31%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.48 ¥16.57

22.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.42 ¥2.78

328.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.26 ¥1.72

430.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.85 ¥5.71

281.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.68 ¥11.22

230.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.68 ¥11.26

-10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.58 ¥10.60

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.69 ¥4.60

146.38%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$0.96 ¥6.40

208.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.43 ¥56.4

21.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.41 ¥16.11

304.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$8.26 ¥55.2

68.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.18 ¥7.87

250.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.98 ¥6.59

56.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.63 ¥4.20

252.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.57 ¥3.83

298.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.53 ¥3.55

275.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.47 ¥3.14

255.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.40 ¥2.66

195.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.73 ¥4.86

69.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.54 ¥17.00

52.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.79 ¥65.5

40.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.68 ¥4.58

144.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.02 ¥13.50

18.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.31 ¥2.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$17.86 ¥119

337.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.53 ¥10.25

-16.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.31 ¥2.10

593.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.66 ¥24.48

128.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.98 ¥6.53

37.76%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.2K ¥128.3K

81.12%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$17.6K ¥117.4K

97.59%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$60.1 ¥402

177.38%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$7.17 ¥47.97

89.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$9.16 ¥61.3

217.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$57.7 ¥386

-21.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$15.04 ¥101

14.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$3.94 ¥26.37

76.90%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$177 ¥1,182

346.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$21.6K ¥144.2K

-58.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$43.93 ¥294

99.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$34.16 ¥228

70.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$73.3 ¥490

89.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$65.3 ¥437

51.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$296 ¥1,982

246.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$185 ¥1,238

234.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$622 ¥4,158

202.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$380 ¥2,541

165.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,585 ¥17.3K

54.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,965 ¥13.1K

-13.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$566 ¥3,786

17.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.29

232.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jiaozuo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Jiaozuo

$185 27.5% 70.1% $434

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Jiaozuo

$158 23.5% 46.8% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Jiaozuo

$76 11.3% 63.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Jiaozuo

$97 14.5% 43.6% $75

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Jiaozuo

$68 10.2% 60% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Jiaozuo

$22 3.3% 76.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.7% 11.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 17% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $16.00 in Jiaozuo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $158 per month, with Jiaozuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

05:54 5:54 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,539,860

💱 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

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Between locations

Medellin Jiaozuo 15,310 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jiaozuo

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 Jiaozuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiaozuo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 141% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $177 in Jiaozuo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $674 in Jiaozuo versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jiaozuo but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jiaozuo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.