Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Longyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $465 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Longyan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $465 in Longyan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Longyan $465

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $754 in Longyan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Longyan $754

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,044 in Longyan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Longyan $1,044

Medellin costs about 253% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Longyan is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.94 ¥19.51

175.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$22.79 ¥151

106.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$4.93 ¥32.77

92.70%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.29 ¥15.22

31.44%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.44 ¥2.91

309.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.29 ¥1.95

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$0.87 ¥5.76

265.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.63 ¥10.81

252.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.01 ¥13.33

-24.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.47 ¥9.75

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.77 ¥5.12

129.87%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.52 ¥10.08

90.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.62 ¥50.7

33.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.19 ¥14.56

350.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$9.46 ¥62.9

47.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.84 ¥12.22

115.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.33 ¥8.87

16.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.78 ¥11.80

22.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.08 ¥7.21

101.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.91 ¥6.04

115.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.01 ¥6.70

57.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.47 ¥3.12

144.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.51 ¥3.41

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.44 ¥22.84

15.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$12.20 ¥81.1

12.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.77 ¥5.10

115.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.22 ¥8.13

85.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.15 ¥1.00

680.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.02 ¥6.78

24.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.51 ¥3.37

301.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.38 ¥49.03

15.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.33 ¥8.86

1.50%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.5K ¥129.5K

74.83%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$15.6K ¥103.7K

122.19%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$67.6 ¥449

151.04%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$15.77 ¥105

-14.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$8.78 ¥58.4

219.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$4.39 ¥29.16

291.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.56 ¥50.3

-8.60%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$213 ¥1,417

273.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.9K ¥79.3K

-23.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$29.53 ¥196

186.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$15.14 ¥101

282.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$73.7 ¥490

83.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$98.6 ¥655

-0.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$370 ¥2,459

448.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,375 ¥9,136

38.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$492 ¥3,266

33.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.46

216.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Longyan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Longyan

$179 38.6% 39.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Longyan

$92 19.8% 56.4% $119

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Longyan

$76 16.4% 55% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Longyan

$98 21% 42.2% $71

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Longyan

$4.2 * 0.9% 95.6% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Longyan

$15 * 3.3% 73.7% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 34% 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 in Medellin versus $23 in Longyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $179 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Longyan

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

18:09 6:09 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,559,545

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Longyan 16,270 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Longyan

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 Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $465 in Longyan – Longyan comes out roughly 72% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $697 in Longyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $23 in Longyan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Longyan, where all-in costs run around $465, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Longyan 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 $465 in Longyan to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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