Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $722 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
Learn more

Jilin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jilin

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $722 in Jilin, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Jilin $722

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,195 in Jilin, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Jilin $1,195

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,669 in Jilin, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Jilin $1,669

Medellin costs about 127% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Jilin is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.05 ¥20.31

165.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$22.62 ¥151

108.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.17 ¥34.37

83.75%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.43 ¥22.83

-12.24%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.44 ¥2.96

309.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.27 ¥1.80

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.09 ¥7.24

191.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.31 ¥15.39

148.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.75 ¥11.64

-13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.61 ¥10.70

47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.99 ¥6.59

78.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.57 ¥10.46

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$15.29 ¥102

-33.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.12 ¥20.73

216.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.08 ¥73.7

26.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.88 ¥12.51

111.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.27 ¥8.44

22.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.47 ¥9.79

48.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.29 ¥8.62

68.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.66 ¥4.38

196.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.02 ¥6.79

55.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.59 ¥3.96

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.59 ¥3.91

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.77 ¥25.12

5.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.21 ¥68.0

33.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.76 ¥5.07

118.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.60 ¥10.65

41.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.34 ¥2.28

244.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$17.48 ¥116

342.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.08 ¥7.17

17.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.26 ¥1.73

688.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.13 ¥47.44

19.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.27 ¥8.43

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.8K ¥132.1K

71.68%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.6K ¥116.9K

97.42%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$61.3 ¥408

176.89%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$8.26 ¥55.0

64.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$10.67 ¥71.0

163.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$39.37 ¥262

11.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$16.99 ¥113

1.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.41 ¥42.67

7.80%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$440 ¥2,930

80.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$17.7K ¥117.5K

-48.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$42.55 ¥283

99.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$32.53 ¥217

78.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$76.4 ¥508

76.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$76.0 ¥506

28.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$244 ¥1,623

395.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$163 ¥1,085

293.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$584 ¥3,884

247.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$406 ¥2,704

148.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,551 ¥23.6K

17.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,139 ¥14.2K

-10.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$441 ¥2,935

48.99%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Jilin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Jilin

$163 22.6% 74.6% $479

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Jilin

$209 28.9% 29.7% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Jilin

$80 11.1% 62% $131

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Jilin

$94 13% 44.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Jilin

$102 14.2% 39.4% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Jilin

$21 2.9% 77.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Jilin

$52 7.2% 9.3% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $244 in Jilin. 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 49% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $23 in Jilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $209 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jilin

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

05:20 5:20 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,623,713

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Jilin 14,010 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jilin

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 Jilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 127% more than Jilin, 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 $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,083 in Jilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jilin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $440 in Jilin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jilin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Jilin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.