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: $1,641 in Medellin versus $655 in Luoyang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,447 in Medellin versus $1,051 in Luoyang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,253 in Medellin versus $1,447 in Luoyang.

Living in Medellin is roughly 150% more expensive than in Luoyang, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Luoyang is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 COP 24.8K

$3.75 ¥25.10

114.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.29 COP 148.7K

$29.99 ¥201

61.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 COP 29.0K

$5.61 ¥37.57

67.91%

Cappuccino

$2.94 COP 9,045

$3.62 ¥24.23

-18.78%

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

$1.86 COP 5,738

$0.44 ¥2.94

322.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,481

$0.27 ¥1.81

440.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 COP 9,887

$1.30 ¥8.68

146.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 COP 17.6K

$3.00 ¥20.06

90.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,431

$1.91 ¥12.80

-24.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,393

$2.26 ¥15.11

6.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,230

$1.02 ¥6.80

66.67%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 8,901

$1.49 ¥10.00

93.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 COP 31.0K

$13.46 ¥90.1

-25.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 COP 30.7K

$3.52 ¥23.56

183.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 COP 43.7K

$8.74 ¥58.5

62.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 COP 12.3K

$1.02 ¥6.80

290.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 COP 4,880

$1.31 ¥8.76

20.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,627

$1.58 ¥10.59

36.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,082

$1.25 ¥8.36

84.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,172

$0.72 ¥4.80

177.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,648

$0.96 ¥6.46

57.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 COP 3,703

$0.46 ¥3.11

160.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 COP 3,948

$0.84 ¥5.63

52.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 COP 11.8K

$1.74 ¥11.68

120.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.1K

$13.18 ¥88.3

6.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,259

$0.43 ¥2.89

297.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 COP 8,444

$2.19 ¥14.70

25.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,836

$0.31 ¥2.08

303.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 239.9K

$17.55 ¥118

343.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,018

$1.20 ¥8.05

9.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 COP 6,684

$0.33 ¥2.20

557.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 COP 25.5K

$6.93 ¥46.40

19.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,174

$1.21 ¥8.08

12.40%

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

$27.5K COP 84.6M

$19.2K ¥128.9K

42.75%

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

$36.5K COP 112.5M

$17.2K ¥115.3K

112.17%

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

$169 COP 519.5K

$42.13 ¥282

300.47%

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

$13.57 COP 41.8K

$5.85 ¥39.19

131.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 COP 87.2K

$10.59 ¥70.9

167.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 COP 140.8K

$22.54 ¥151

102.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 COP 53.0K

$11.79 ¥79.0

46.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.5K

$5.53 ¥37.03

20.25%

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

$803 COP 2.5M

$191 ¥1,279

320.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 COP 28.3M

$16.9K ¥113.4K

-45.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 COP 269.0K

$50.2 ¥336

74.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 COP 182.8K

$30.30 ¥203

95.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 427.7K

$64.0 ¥428

117.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 314.2K

$80.8 ¥541

26.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 COP 3.3M

$190 ¥1,272

463.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.0M

$125 ¥834

424.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 COP 5.9M

$432 ¥2,890

346.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 COP 3.2M

$222 ¥1,484

372.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 COP 12.7M

$2,144 ¥14.4K

92.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 COP 5.2M

$1,385 ¥9,276

22.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

$626 ¥4,190

4.71%

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: September 7, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,071 in Medellin and $190 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 5% 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: $48.00 in Medellin vs $30.00 in Luoyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $210 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

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 150% 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.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,071 in Medellin versus $190 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $803 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 43% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $655 in Luoyang versus $1,641 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 $655 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 150% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.