Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jinan

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $634 a month against $1,663 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
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Jinan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,663

/mo nomad

Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jinan

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

A single person spends $1,663 per month in Medellin vs $634 in Jinan, rent included.

Medellin $1,663
Jinan $634

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Medellin vs $1,055 in Jinan, rent included.

Medellin $2,415
Jinan $1,055

A family of three spends $3,166 per month in Medellin vs $1,475 in Jinan, rent included.

Medellin $3,166
Jinan $1,475

Medellin costs about 162% more than Jinan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 24% above the global median, while Jinan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.96 COP 26.2K

$2.51 ¥16.71

217.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 COP 151.4K

$24.44 ¥163

87.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 COP 30.1K

$4.94 ¥32.92

85.02%

Cappuccino

$2.97 COP 9,786

$2.66 ¥17.73

11.65%

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

$1.83 COP 6,026

$0.44 ¥2.91

315.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 COP 4,575

$0.21 ¥1.40

561.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 COP 9,974

$0.94 ¥6.25

222.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 COP 18.2K

$1.48 ¥9.90

273.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 5,014

$1.63 ¥10.86

-6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 COP 7,515

$1.43 ¥9.50

59.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 COP 6,042

$1.23 ¥8.23

48.78%

Eggs

$2.97 COP 9,800

$1.07 ¥7.12

177.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 COP 31.7K

$11.73 ¥78.2

-17.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 COP 33.2K

$3.25 ¥21.67

209.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 COP 44.4K

$9.87 ¥65.8

36.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 COP 13.3K

$1.38 ¥9.18

192.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 5,051

$1.06 ¥7.10

44.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,971

$1.37 ¥9.11

54.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,576

$1.11 ¥7.38

107.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 COP 7,084

$0.63 ¥4.19

241.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,438

$0.69 ¥4.57

139.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,865

$0.53 ¥3.55

120.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,202

$0.63 ¥4.17

150.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 COP 12.4K

$3.81 ¥25.41

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 COP 46.8K

$9.82 ¥65.5

44.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 COP 5,506

$0.67 ¥4.50

149.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 COP 8,731

$1.32 ¥8.81

100.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 COP 3,804

$0.29 ¥1.92

296.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.0 COP 257.2K

$8.98 ¥59.9

768.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 COP 6,117

$1.62 ¥10.78

14.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 COP 6,832

$0.27 ¥1.81

666.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 27.7K

$4.37 ¥29.11

92.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,378

$1.32 ¥8.83

0.76%

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

$33.4K COP 110.1M

$19.7K ¥131.1K

69.84%

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

$33.4K COP 110.0M

$15.1K ¥100.4K

121.65%

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

$178 COP 587.1K

$74.0 ¥493

140.69%

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

$13.40 COP 44.2K

$6.98 ¥46.57

91.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.88 COP 98.5K

$5.02 ¥33.47

495.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 COP 131.4K

$23.78 ¥159

67.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.35 COP 53.9K

$8.63 ¥57.5

89.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 COP 23.6K

$5.13 ¥34.20

39.57%

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

$771 COP 2.5M

$221 ¥1,472

249.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K COP 39.7M

$20.2K ¥134.6K

-40.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 COP 281.3K

$34.35 ¥229

148.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 COP 188.6K

$38.59 ¥257

48.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 COP 440.8K

$70.8 ¥472

88.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 COP 315.1K

$69.9 ¥466

36.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 COP 4.4M

$254 ¥1,697

421.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 COP 2.2M

$144 ¥962

356.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 COP 6.6M

$595 ¥3,969

235.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 COP 3.3M

$371 ¥2,475

168.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,037 COP 13.3M

$2,484 ¥16.6K

62.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,926 COP 6.3M

$1,306 ¥8,710

47.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$661 COP 2.2M

$983 ¥6,556

-32.72%

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: November 9, 2026

Last update for Jinan: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$658 39.6%

Jinan

$144 22.8% 78.1% $514

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$302 18.1%

Jinan

$184 29% 39.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$221 13.3%

Jinan

$86 13.6% 61.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$167 10.1%

Jinan

$96 15.2% 42.6% $71

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10%

Jinan

$77 12.1% 53.5% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.7%

Jinan

$13 2.1% 86.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$54 3.3%

Jinan

$34 5.4% 37.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,326 in Medellin versus $254 in Jinan. 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 Jinan, 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 in Medellin versus $24 in Jinan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $184 – making Jinan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jinan

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

16:55 4:55 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

9,202,432

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.03 USD

10,000 COP = 2.72 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 November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 3,296 COP (10,000 COP = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 3,683 COP (10,000 COP = 2.72 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Jinan 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jinan

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 Jinan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 162% more than Jinan, 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 $2,495 per month in Medellin and $951 in Jinan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jinan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $1,326 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Medellin and $24 in Jinan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,663 in Medellin and $634 in Jinan. That makes Jinan about 62% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jinan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Medellin at $1,663. In Jinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Jinan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.