Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jiujiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiujiang: $779 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Jiujiang
Learn more

Jiujiang Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Jiujiang

🇨🇳 China

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jiujiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $779 in Jiujiang.

Medellin $1,639
Jiujiang $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,243 in Jiujiang.

Medellin $2,413
Jiujiang $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,707 in Jiujiang.

Medellin $3,186
Jiujiang $1,707

Living in Medellin is roughly 111% more expensive than in Jiujiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Jiujiang is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.57 ¥17.12

214.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$22.11 ¥147

112.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.42 ¥29.43

114.93%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.76 ¥18.36

9.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.50 ¥3.32

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.27 ¥1.77

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.02 ¥6.80

211.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.97 ¥13.12

191.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.61 ¥10.74

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.97 ¥13.08

20.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.82 ¥5.43

115.85%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.90 ¥12.63

52.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$13.82 ¥91.9

-26.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.80 ¥31.97

105.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$11.30 ¥75.2

23.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.32 ¥15.42

71.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.73 ¥11.54

-10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.70 ¥11.32

28.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.53 ¥10.21

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.86 ¥5.74

127.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.99 ¥6.60

60.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.78 ¥5.19

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.71 ¥4.74

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.92 ¥19.44

35.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.82 ¥78.7

15.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.94 ¥6.25

76.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.94 ¥12.89

16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.32 ¥2.12

265.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$15.89 ¥106

386.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.19 ¥7.90

6.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.32 ¥2.15

540.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$3.59 ¥23.87

138.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.34 ¥8.92

0.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$19.1K ¥127.2K

78.27%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$16.6K ¥110.5K

108.82%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$48.35 ¥322

250.88%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$9.24 ¥61.5

46.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$11.84 ¥78.8

137.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$35.99 ¥240

21.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$12.93 ¥86.0

32.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$6.49 ¥43.21

6.47%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$244 ¥1,625

226.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$8,750 ¥58.2K

4.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$90.7 ¥604

-6.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$33.26 ¥221

74.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$64.4 ¥429

109.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$96.0 ¥639

1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$311 ¥2,067

288.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$202 ¥1,346

217.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$663 ¥4,415

205.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$394 ¥2,619

157.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$3,031 ¥20.2K

37.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,011 ¥13.4K

-5.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$607 ¥4,041

8.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.15

247.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jiujiang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Jiujiang

$202 26% 68.5% $439

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Jiujiang

$231 29.7% 22.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Jiujiang

$69 8.9% 67.1% $142

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Jiujiang

$79 10.2% 53.4% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Jiujiang

$128 16.4% 24.3% $41

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Jiujiang

$20 2.6% 78.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Jiujiang

$49 6.3% 14.9% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $311 in Jiujiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 8% 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 $22 in Jiujiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $231 per month, with Jiujiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Jiujiang

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

14:28 2:28 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,728,778

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Jiujiang 15,830 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jiujiang

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 Jiujiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiujiang wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jiujiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% 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 $311 in Jiujiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiujiang – a meal for two runs $22 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 $779 in Jiujiang – Jiujiang is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Jiujiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.