Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jiaxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaxing: $632 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Jiaxing
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Jiaxing Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Jiaxing

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jiaxing

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $632 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Jiaxing $632

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,070 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Jiaxing $1,070

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,507 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Jiaxing $1,507

Medellin costs about 155% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Jiaxing is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.05 ¥20.40

160.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$22.17 ¥148

108.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$4.41 ¥29.46

115.42%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$3.03 ¥20.28

2.64%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$0.48 ¥3.18

281.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,373

$0.29 ¥1.93

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$0.78 ¥5.23

291.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$2.27 ¥15.17

142.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.90 ¥12.70

-23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$1.95 ¥13.06

21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$0.59 ¥3.93

184.75%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$1.92 ¥12.81

48.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$7.45 ¥49.79

36.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$3.31 ¥22.13

187.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$7.51 ¥50.2

86.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.60 ¥10.67

154.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.14 ¥7.65

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$0.93 ¥6.25

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$0.68 ¥4.57

239.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$0.59 ¥3.93

227.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$0.87 ¥5.79

88.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$0.50 ¥3.37

126.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$0.55 ¥3.65

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$5.13 ¥34.27

-22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$11.85 ¥79.3

12.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$0.79 ¥5.27

115.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

$1.31 ¥8.77

80.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$0.21 ¥1.40

476.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

$16.27 ¥109

370.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,192

$1.17 ¥7.80

12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$0.42 ¥2.83

409.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$7.66 ¥51.2

10.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.26 ¥8.40

3.17%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$19.5K ¥130.7K

43.19%

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$19.4K ¥130.0K

82.24%

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

$172 COP 547.3K

$36.33 ¥243

373.69%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$11.38 ¥76.1

17.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$5.30 ¥35.47

442.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

$37.96 ¥254

19.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

$7.30 ¥48.80

133.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$5.15 ¥34.43

21.94%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$430 ¥2,877

79.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$12.6K ¥84.0K

-28.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$35.13 ¥235

145.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$21.43 ¥143

166.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$63.5 ¥425

114.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$45.38 ¥303

115.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$282 ¥1,884

274.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$176 ¥1,179

249.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$743 ¥4,972

154.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$455 ¥3,040

125.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,818 ¥25.5K

6.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,051 ¥13.7K

-18.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$737 ¥4,927

-11.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.13

249.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jiaxing: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Jiaxing

$176 27.9% 71.4% $440

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Jiaxing

$174 27.6% 40.9% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Jiaxing

$53 8.4% 75.2% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Jiaxing

$74 11.8% 56.2% $96

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Jiaxing

$86 13.5% 49.2% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Jiaxing

$20 3.2% 78.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Jiaxing

$48 7.6% 16.5% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $282 in Jiaxing. 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 13% higher in Jiaxing, 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 $22.00 in Jiaxing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $174 – making Jiaxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jiaxing

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

10:23 10:23 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,563,700

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Jiaxing 15,550 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jiaxing

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 Jiaxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 155% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $948 in Jiaxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 370% less in Jiaxing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $430 in Jiaxing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jiaxing, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Jiaxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jiaxing costs $632 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Jiaxing. 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.