Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Luoyang Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Luoyang

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Medellin versus $624 in Luoyang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,596 in Medellin versus $1,010 in Luoyang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,178 in Medellin versus $1,396 in Luoyang.

Living in Medellin is roughly 63% more expensive than Luoyang, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Medellin 25% lower, Luoyang 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 COP 22.2K

$3.42 ¥23.35

79.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.05 COP 119.3K

$28.24 ¥193

17.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 COP 26.4K

$5.09 ¥34.77

43.81%

Cappuccino

$1.66 COP 5,987

$3.38 ¥23.09

-50.89%

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

$1.10 COP 3,987

$0.43 ¥2.96

155.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 COP 2,822

$0.23 ¥1.57

239.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 COP 6,188

$1.16 ¥7.92

47.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 COP 11.5K

$2.78 ¥18.98

14.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 COP 4,012

$1.73 ¥11.79

-35.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 COP 4,719

$2.05 ¥13.97

-36.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,980

$0.93 ¥6.35

48.39%

Eggs

$2.22 COP 8,009

$1.33 ¥9.10

66.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 COP 15.7K

$12.63 ¥86.2

-65.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 COP 20.9K

$3.24 ¥22.14

79.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 COP 32.4K

$8.35 ¥57.0

7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 COP 8,164

$0.88 ¥6.01

156.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 COP 4,023

$1.26 ¥8.63

-11.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 COP 5,284

$1.40 ¥9.56

4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,929

$1.08 ¥7.40

26.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 COP 4,009

$0.67 ¥4.60

65.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 COP 4,199

$0.97 ¥6.63

19.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,211

$0.44 ¥2.98

102.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 3,124

$0.74 ¥5.04

17.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 COP 8,495

$1.61 ¥11.00

45.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 COP 39.2K

$13.26 ¥90.6

-18.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 4,330

$0.40 ¥2.73

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 COP 8,946

$1.99 ¥13.58

24.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 COP 2,842

$0.29 ¥2.00

172.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.77 COP 147.2K

$16.82 ¥115

142.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 COP 5,137

$1.13 ¥7.73

25.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 COP 6,900

$0.35 ¥2.40

445.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 COP 27.6K

$6.60 ¥45.09

15.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 COP 3,490

$1.14 ¥7.81

-14.91%

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

$18.1K COP 65.3M

$19.0K ¥129.8K

-4.75%

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

$26.3K COP 95.0M

$16.7K ¥114.3K

57.18%

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

$81.3 COP 293.5K

$39.53 ¥270

105.69%

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

$9.63 COP 34.8K

$5.54 ¥37.83

73.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 COP 88.0K

$9.83 ¥67.2

147.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.02 COP 93.9K

$20.85 ¥142

24.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.92 COP 68.3K

$11.20 ¥76.5

68.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 COP 14.0K

$5.08 ¥34.69

-23.43%

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

$304 COP 1.1M

$184 ¥1,258

65.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,902 COP 21.3M

$17.0K ¥116.1K

-65.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 COP 211.8K

$46.28 ¥316

26.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.48 COP 117.2K

$27.57 ¥188

17.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 COP 367.3K

$59.2 ¥404

71.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 390.4K

$73.6 ¥502

47.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 COP 1.7M

$178 ¥1,217

166.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 COP 1.3M

$118 ¥805

214.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 COP 3.1M

$396 ¥2,705

114.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 COP 2.6M

$210 ¥1,434

241.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,871 COP 10.4M

$2,069 ¥14.1K

38.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 COP 5.0M

$1,400 ¥9,561

-1.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$542 COP 2.0M

$621 ¥4,244

-12.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

4.45

201.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $474 in Medellin and $178 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luoyang pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33 in Medellin vs $28 in Luoyang. Groceries flip the comparison at $190 vs $196, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

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 63% 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.

On paper, Luoyang earns 15% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $474 in Medellin versus $178 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $304 in Medellin versus $184 in Luoyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $624 in Luoyang versus $1,014 in Medellin, a $1,000 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 work as nomad bases, but Luoyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $624 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Luoyang hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.