Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jinhua

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinhua: $640 a month against $1,625 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 Jinhua
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Jinhua Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Jinhua

🇨🇳 China

$640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jinhua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $640 in Jinhua.

Medellin $1,625
Jinhua $640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,056 in Jinhua.

Medellin $2,412
Jinhua $1,056

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,471 in Jinhua.

Medellin $3,199
Jinhua $1,471

Living in Medellin is roughly 154% more expensive than in Jinhua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Jinhua is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$4.58 ¥30.56

81.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$22.28 ¥149

110.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$5.13 ¥34.21

80.12%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$1.52 ¥10.13

100.66%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.46 ¥3.09

291.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$0.29 ¥1.91

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$0.44 ¥2.93

636.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$1.50 ¥10.02

270.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.52 ¥10.14

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,446

$1.52 ¥10.13

55.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$0.76 ¥5.09

123.68%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$1.28 ¥8.57

131.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$16.98 ¥113

-39.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$3.29 ¥21.97

196.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$8.79 ¥58.6

58.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.82 ¥12.12

126.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.18 ¥7.85

29.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$1.18 ¥7.85

88.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$1.51 ¥10.05

50.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$0.79 ¥5.24

151.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$0.78 ¥5.21

114.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.14 ¥0.94

742.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$0.29 ¥1.92

327.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$3.69 ¥24.60

4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$10.81 ¥72.1

27.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$0.47 ¥3.15

253.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$1.51 ¥10.08

58.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.31 ¥2.10

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

$17.84 ¥119

338.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$1.47 ¥9.80

-12.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.21 ¥1.40

923.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$9.19 ¥61.3

-8.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.28 ¥8.52

5.47%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$11.7K ¥78.2K

196.34%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$14.7K ¥98.1K

135.85%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$22.71 ¥151

633.82%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$7.99 ¥53.3

70.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$10.43 ¥69.6

179.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$41.36 ¥276

9.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$14.72 ¥98.2

16.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$4.41 ¥29.42

58.05%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$417 ¥2,779

89.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-67.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$22.53 ¥150

289.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$37.73 ¥252

54.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$73.8 ¥492

88.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$30.19 ¥201

227.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$258 ¥1,720

298.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$179 ¥1,192

246.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$477 ¥3,182

294.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$376 ¥2,510

167.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$3,429 ¥22.9K

16.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,972 ¥13.2K

-13.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,502 ¥10.0K

-55.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

264.67%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jinhua: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Jinhua

$179 27.9% 71.2% $441

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Jinhua

$196 30.6% 34.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Jinhua

$41 6.4% 80.4% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Jinhua

$74 11.6% 57.2% $99

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Jinhua

$78 12.3% 54.1% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Jinhua

$22 3.4% 77.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Jinhua

$50 7.8% 15% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $258 in Jinhua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jinhua pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $22 in Jinhua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $196 per month, with Jinhua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jinhua

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,361,572

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Jinhua 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jinhua

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 Jinhua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinhua is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 154% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $258 in Jinhua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jinhua runs roughly 77% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $417 in Jinhua. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $640 in Jinhua versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jinhua but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jinhua 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.

Expats usually find Jinhua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.