Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jinzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinzhou: $752 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Jinzhou
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Jinzhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Jinzhou

🇨🇳 China

$752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jinzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $752 in Jinzhou.

Medellin $1,639
Jinzhou $752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,172 in Jinzhou.

Medellin $2,413
Jinzhou $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,591 in Jinzhou.

Medellin $3,186
Jinzhou $1,591

Living in Medellin is roughly 118% more expensive than in Jinzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Jinzhou is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.01 ¥19.97

168.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$22.63 ¥150

107.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.01 ¥33.28

89.62%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.79 ¥18.57

7.89%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.51 ¥3.41

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.29 ¥1.90

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.10 ¥7.33

189.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.15 ¥14.30

167.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.76 ¥11.67

-14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.65 ¥10.98

44.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.95 ¥6.29

86.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.58 ¥10.52

82.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.15 ¥87.4

-22.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.46 ¥22.99

185.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.20 ¥74.4

24.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.84 ¥12.20

115.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.33 ¥8.84

16.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.69 ¥11.25

28.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.31 ¥8.68

66.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.74 ¥4.94

164.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.91 ¥6.05

74.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.68 ¥4.55

69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.54 ¥3.59

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.75 ¥24.92

5.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$12.08 ¥80.3

13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.83 ¥5.52

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.69 ¥11.24

33.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.29 ¥1.89

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$16.06 ¥107

381.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.44 ¥9.54

-11.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.33 ¥2.18

521.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.17 ¥41.03

38.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.30 ¥8.66

3.85%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.9K ¥132.1K

71.33%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$16.5K ¥109.4K

110.57%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$64.6 ¥429

162.70%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.51 ¥63.2

42.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$9.60 ¥63.8

192.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$46.03 ¥306

-5.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$16.30 ¥108

5.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.03 ¥46.73

-1.71%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$440 ¥2,922

81.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$19.1K ¥126.9K

-52.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$48.28 ¥321

75.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$33.00 ¥219

75.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$73.2 ¥486

84.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$68.5 ¥455

42.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$258 ¥1,712

368.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$192 ¥1,278

233.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$655 ¥4,353

209.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$332 ¥2,209

204.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,793 ¥18.6K

49.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,128 ¥14.1K

-10.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$446 ¥2,966

47.20%

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 Jinzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Jinzhou

$192 25.6% 70% $449

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Jinzhou

$210 27.9% 29.3% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Jinzhou

$84 11.1% 60.4% $128

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Jinzhou

$86 11.4% 49.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Jinzhou

$100 13.3% 40.6% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Jinzhou

$20 2.7% 78.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Jinzhou

$60 8% 4.4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $258 in Jinzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 47% 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: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Jinzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $210 per month, with Jinzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jinzhou

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

20:45 8:45 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,703,853

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Jinzhou 14,480 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jinzhou

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 Jinzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinzhou is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $258 in Jinzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jinzhou – a meal for two runs $23 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $752 in Jinzhou – Jinzhou is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $752 in Jinzhou versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jinzhou but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jinzhou 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 Jinzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.