Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Liuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Liuzhou: $770 a month against $1,625 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 Liuzhou
Learn more

Liuzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Liuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Liuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $770 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Liuzhou $770

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,197 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Liuzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,625 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Liuzhou $1,625

Medellin costs about 111% more than Liuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Liuzhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.71 ¥18.13

206.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.23 ¥149

111.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.25 ¥35.12

76.00%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.82 ¥18.85

8.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.51 ¥3.41

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.31 ¥2.08

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.06 ¥7.12

205.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.15 ¥14.38

158.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.85 ¥12.34

-18.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.59 ¥10.64

49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.99 ¥6.59

71.72%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.69 ¥11.28

75.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.19 ¥88.2

-22.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.35 ¥22.37

190.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.24 ¥75.2

23.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.47 ¥9.82

180.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.87 ¥5.79

75.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.50 ¥10.05

48.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.32 ¥8.82

71.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.75 ¥5.00

165.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.95 ¥6.32

75.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.60 ¥3.99

96.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.59 ¥3.95

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.83 ¥25.61

1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$11.43 ¥76.4

20.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.89 ¥5.95

86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.62 ¥10.84

48.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.31 ¥2.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$18.21 ¥122

329.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.52 ¥10.16

-15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.33 ¥2.18

551.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$6.99 ¥46.76

19.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.39 ¥9.33

-2.88%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.5K ¥130.3K

78.35%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$17.1K ¥114.3K

102.85%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$57.8 ¥387

188.27%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$8.84 ¥59.1

54.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$11.27 ¥75.3

158.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$80.0 ¥535

-43.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$15.15 ¥101

13.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.26 ¥41.84

11.34%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$418 ¥2,796

88.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$17.3K ¥115.5K

-47.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$43.99 ¥294

99.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$33.95 ¥227

71.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$75.8 ¥507

83.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$76.0 ¥508

30.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$239 ¥1,598

330.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$185 ¥1,237

234.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$419 ¥2,800

349.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$316 ¥2,115

218.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,506 ¥23.4K

13.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,907 ¥12.7K

-10.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$608 ¥4,066

9.09%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Liuzhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Liuzhou

$185 24% 70.1% $434

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Liuzhou

$204 26.5% 31.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Liuzhou

$78 10.1% 62.8% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Liuzhou

$103 13.4% 40.2% $69

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Liuzhou

$84 10.9% 50.7% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Liuzhou

$23 2.9% 76.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Liuzhou

$93 12% 56.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $239 in Liuzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $22.00 in Liuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $204 – making Liuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Liuzhou

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

18:50 6:50 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,157,934

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Liuzhou 16,570 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Liuzhou

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 Liuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $770 in Liuzhou – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,155 in Liuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liuzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $22.00 in Liuzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Liuzhou, where all-in costs run around $770, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Liuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $770 in Liuzhou to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Liuzhou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.