Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jining

For one person, living is cheaper in Jining: $675 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Jining
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Jining Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Jining

🇨🇳 China

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jining

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $675 in Jining.

Medellin $1,614
Jining $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,012 in Jining.

Medellin $2,402
Jining $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,349 in Jining.

Medellin $3,190
Jining $1,349

Living in Medellin is roughly 139% more expensive than in Jining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 COP 25.3K

$2.19 ¥14.62

264.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.47 COP 147.3K

$16.48 ¥110

181.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 COP 30.4K

$4.37 ¥29.21

118.99%

Cappuccino

$3.14 COP 9,963

$2.29 ¥15.32

37.12%

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

$1.85 COP 5,864

$0.55 ¥3.69

236.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,391

$0.28 ¥1.87

392.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 COP 9,734

$0.93 ¥6.21

230.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 COP 17.6K

$1.47 ¥9.81

276.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 COP 4,631

$1.51 ¥10.09

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,527

$1.18 ¥7.89

100.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,360

$1.05 ¥7.03

60.95%

Eggs

$2.88 COP 9,139

$0.96 ¥6.43

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 COP 32.5K

$8.16 ¥54.5

25.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 COP 30.4K

$2.87 ¥19.17

234.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.12 COP 44.8K

$10.26 ¥68.6

37.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$1.45 ¥9.68

182.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.99 ¥6.61

51.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 COP 6,955

$1.06 ¥7.06

106.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 COP 7,342

$1.17 ¥7.84

98.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,145

$0.61 ¥4.09

218.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,228

$0.73 ¥4.89

126.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.66 ¥4.42

71.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 3,985

$0.76 ¥5.08

65.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 COP 12.7K

$5.31 ¥35.50

-24.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 COP 42.6K

$9.86 ¥65.9

36.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,416

$0.95 ¥6.32

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 COP 7,590

$1.61 ¥10.74

48.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 COP 3,859

$0.31 ¥2.08

293.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.1 COP 244.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 COP 4,212

$1.04 ¥6.94

27.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 COP 6,839

$0.29 ¥1.93

644.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 COP 27.0K

$3.60 ¥24.10

136.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 COP 4,146

$1.31 ¥8.77

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

$35.2K COP 111.8M

$19.3K ¥129.1K

82.60%

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

$34.7K COP 110.1M

$17.6K ¥117.7K

97.34%

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

$173 COP 549.6K

$60.8 ¥407

184.96%

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

$13.46 COP 42.7K

$6.67 ¥44.61

101.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.93 COP 91.7K

$10.47 ¥70.0

176.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 COP 144.5K

$37.94 ¥254

20.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 COP 54.4K

$15.06 ¥101

14.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 COP 21.9K

$4.43 ¥29.64

55.53%

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

$775 COP 2.5M

$386 ¥2,578

101.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,077 COP 28.8M

$7,429 ¥49.7K

22.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 COP 276.0K

$43.13 ¥288

101.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 182.4K

$33.57 ¥224

71.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 436.1K

$72.6 ¥485

89.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 COP 312.7K

$69.8 ¥467

41.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 COP 3.4M

$281 ¥1,880

277.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$182 ¥1,214

241.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 COP 6.0M

$391 ¥2,615

386.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 COP 3.3M

$269 ¥1,796

283.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,089 COP 13.0M

$3,021 ¥20.2K

35.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,691 COP 5.4M

$1,959 ¥13.1K

-13.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$592 ¥3,958

11.02%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Jining: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Jining

$182 26.9% 70.5% $434

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Jining

$172 25.5% 41.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Jining

$78 11.6% 63.5% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Jining

$99 14.6% 42.1% $72

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Jining

$72 10.6% 57.3% $97

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Jining

$22 3.3% 76.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Jining

$51 7.6% 11.5% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $281 in Jining. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 10% 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $16.00 in Jining for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $172 per month, with Jining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jining

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

17:36 5:36 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,357,897

💱 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 →

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Medellin Jining 15,210 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Jining

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 Jining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jining is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $281 in Jining. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jining runs roughly 320% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $386 in Jining. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $675 in Jining versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jining but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jining the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jining 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 Jining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.