Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Luoyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Luoyang: $661 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Luoyang
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Luoyang Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Luoyang

🇨🇳 China

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Luoyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $661 in Luoyang.

Medellin $1,639
Luoyang $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,068 in Luoyang.

Medellin $2,413
Luoyang $1,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,476 in Luoyang.

Medellin $3,186
Luoyang $1,476

Living in Medellin is roughly 148% more expensive than in Luoyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Luoyang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.73 ¥24.81

116.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$30.26 ¥201

55.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.69 ¥37.87

66.96%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.57 ¥23.75

-15.69%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.47 ¥3.11

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.25 ¥1.66

464.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.31 ¥8.70

142.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.97 ¥19.79

93.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.87 ¥12.47

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$2.30 ¥15.28

3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.02 ¥6.81

73.53%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.43 ¥9.51

102.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$13.09 ¥87.1

-22.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.42 ¥22.78

188.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$8.85 ¥58.9

58.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$0.95 ¥6.30

317.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.36 ¥9.05

13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.51 ¥10.02

44.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.33 ¥8.88

63.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.75 ¥5.02

161.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.97 ¥6.47

63.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.46 ¥3.08

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.84 ¥5.56

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.75 ¥11.66

126.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$13.66 ¥90.9

0.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.43 ¥2.89

286.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.25 ¥15.00

0.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.31 ¥2.09

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$18.10 ¥120

327.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.18 ¥7.88

7.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.36 ¥2.37

469.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$7.26 ¥48.32

17.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.27 ¥8.45

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$19.6K ¥130.1K

74.23%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$18.0K ¥119.7K

92.79%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$42.16 ¥281

302.40%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$6.03 ¥40.10

124.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$10.44 ¥69.5

168.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$22.06 ¥147

98.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$12.20 ¥81.2

40.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$5.71 ¥37.98

21.02%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$191 ¥1,273

316.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$18.6K ¥123.5K

-50.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$49.85 ¥332

69.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$29.86 ¥199

94.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$66.3 ¥441

103.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$80.5 ¥536

21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$192 ¥1,277

529.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$129 ¥861

396.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$441 ¥2,937

359.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$225 ¥1,495

350.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,135 ¥14.2K

95.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,390 ¥9,251

37.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$644 ¥4,288

1.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.45

145.84%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Luoyang

$129 19.6% 79.8% $512

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Luoyang

$210 31.8% 29.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Luoyang

$59 8.9% 72.2% $153

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Luoyang

$105 15.9% 38% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Luoyang

$102 15.4% 39.7% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Luoyang

$22 3.4% 76.1% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Luoyang

$33 5.1% 41.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $192 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $30 in Luoyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $210 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Luoyang

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,926,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Luoyang 15,390 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Luoyang

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 Luoyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Luoyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $991 in Luoyang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $192 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $191 in Luoyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $661 in Luoyang versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Luoyang but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Luoyang 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 Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.