Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $500 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kaifeng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $500 in Kaifeng.

Medellin $1,639
Kaifeng $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $792 in Kaifeng.

Medellin $2,413
Kaifeng $792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,083 in Kaifeng.

Medellin $3,186
Kaifeng $1,083

Living in Medellin is roughly 228% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kaifeng is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.85 ¥12.30

337.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$13.44 ¥89.3

250.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.12 ¥27.40

130.58%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.19 ¥14.54

37.44%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.39 ¥2.56

361.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.17 ¥1.14

729.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$0.89 ¥5.91

257.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.53 ¥10.16

275.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.57 ¥10.40

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.54 ¥10.21

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.81 ¥5.39

118.52%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$0.96 ¥6.39

201.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.67 ¥44.30

52.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.30 ¥15.25

329.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$10.21 ¥67.8

37.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.87 ¥5.78

356.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.97 ¥6.42

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.59 ¥3.94

269.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.64 ¥4.25

240.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.58 ¥3.84

237.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.67 ¥4.47

137.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.21 ¥1.39

447.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.55 ¥3.67

125.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.94 ¥19.56

34.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$14.88 ¥98.9

-8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.01 ¥6.70

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.01 ¥13.36

12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.13 ¥0.87

800.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.17 ¥7.75

8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.15 ¥0.99

1266.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.69 ¥24.50

131.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.27 ¥8.44

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$19.2K ¥127.3K

77.78%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$14.9K ¥99.0K

132.81%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$45.22 ¥300

275.17%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$4.76 ¥31.62

184.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$5.28 ¥35.07

431.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$29.67 ¥197

47.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.55 ¥70.1

62.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.82 ¥25.36

80.89%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$388 ¥2,581

105.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$31.2K ¥207.3K

-70.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$43.81 ¥291

93.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$33.96 ¥226

70.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$71.9 ¥478

87.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$45.32 ¥301

115.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$121 ¥801

902.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$88.7 ¥589

623.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$225 ¥1,494

801.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$180 ¥1,197

461.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$580 ¥3,852

13.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.1

252.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kaifeng

$89 17.7% 86.2% $553

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kaifeng

$165 33.1% 44.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kaifeng

$55 11.1% 73.8% $156

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kaifeng

$63 12.6% 62.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kaifeng

$88 17.6% 48.1% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kaifeng

$2.4 * 0.5% 97.4% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kaifeng

$37 7.5% 35.2% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $121 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 13% 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 $13 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $165 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

18:02 6:02 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,676,159

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 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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Medellin Kaifeng 15,330 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $121 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $500 in Kaifeng – Kaifeng is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kaifeng versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kaifeng wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.