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: $1,013 in Medellin versus $616 in Luoyang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,602 in Medellin versus $1,003 in Luoyang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,192 in Medellin versus $1,390 in Luoyang.

Living in Medellin is roughly 65% more expensive than Luoyang, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Medellin 24% lower, Luoyang 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 COP 21.3K

$3.47 ¥23.50

72.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.86 COP 116.9K

$28.21 ¥191

16.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 COP 25.2K

$5.31 ¥35.94

33.52%

Cappuccino

$1.71 COP 6,093

$3.47 ¥23.51

-50.72%

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

$1.10 COP 3,910

$0.44 ¥2.96

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 COP 2,771

$0.23 ¥1.56

239.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 COP 5,976

$1.16 ¥7.88

44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 COP 10.9K

$2.83 ¥19.14

8.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 COP 3,892

$1.79 ¥12.12

-39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 COP 4,492

$2.13 ¥14.46

-40.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,905

$1.01 ¥6.85

36.63%

Eggs

$2.19 COP 7,799

$1.39 ¥9.40

57.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.40 COP 15.7K

$12.75 ¥86.4

-65.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 COP 20.0K

$3.23 ¥21.86

74.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.89 COP 31.6K

$8.51 ¥57.6

4.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 COP 8,319

$0.95 ¥6.45

146.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 COP 3,764

$1.25 ¥8.44

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 COP 5,355

$1.36 ¥9.24

10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,906

$1.13 ¥7.67

22.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 COP 4,097

$0.71 ¥4.81

61.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 COP 4,141

$0.90 ¥6.12

28.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,170

$0.40 ¥2.73

122.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 2,986

$0.74 ¥5.03

13.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 COP 8,116

$1.57 ¥10.62

45.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 COP 37.9K

$13.26 ¥89.8

-19.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 4,268

$0.41 ¥2.76

192.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 COP 8,793

$2.09 ¥14.15

18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 COP 3,045

$0.27 ¥1.83

218.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.40 COP 147.3K

$16.54 ¥112

150.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 COP 5,245

$1.08 ¥7.34

36.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 COP 6,984

$0.35 ¥2.40

460.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 COP 27.5K

$6.53 ¥44.23

18.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 COP 3,397

$1.19 ¥8.06

-20.17%

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

$18.1K COP 64.5M

$19.6K ¥132.8K

-7.56%

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

$26.5K COP 94.2M

$16.6K ¥112.3K

59.75%

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

$82.3 COP 292.7K

$39.94 ¥271

105.93%

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

$9.50 COP 33.8K

$5.65 ¥38.24

68.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.23 COP 86.2K

$9.65 ¥65.3

151.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.89 COP 92.1K

$21.28 ¥144

21.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 COP 67.6K

$11.26 ¥76.3

68.74%

Cinema Ticket

$3.93 COP 14.0K

$5.27 ¥35.69

-25.43%

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

$309 COP 1.1M

$184 ¥1,250

67.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,965 COP 21.2M

$17.1K ¥115.7K

-65.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 COP 208.7K

$46.56 ¥315

25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.35 COP 115.1K

$27.86 ¥189

16.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 COP 365.1K

$60.4 ¥409

69.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 385.8K

$74.5 ¥505

45.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 COP 1.7M

$176 ¥1,191

170.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 COP 1.3M

$118 ¥802

220.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 COP 3.0M

$410 ¥2,779

104.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 COP 2.6M

$212 ¥1,437

241.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,791 COP 9.9M

$2,081 ¥14.1K

34.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,211 COP 4.3M

$1,414 ¥9,575

-14.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 COP 1.8M

$619 ¥4,194

-17.35%

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: May 31, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $476 in Medellin and $176 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luoyang pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Medellin vs $28.00 in Luoyang. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $199, 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 65% 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 21% 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: $476 in Medellin versus $176 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $309 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 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $616 in Luoyang versus $1,013 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 $616 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 65% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.