Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,158 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Macao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,158 in Macao.

Medellin $1,639
Macao $2,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,053 in Macao.

Medellin $2,413
Macao $3,053

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,948 in Macao.

Medellin $3,186
Macao $3,948

Living in Medellin costs roughly 24% less than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Macao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.37 MOP 51.5

27.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$55.4 MOP 447

-15.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.76 MOP 46.56

64.93%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.97 MOP 40.18

-39.44%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.05 MOP 8.46

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.78 MOP 6.33

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.66 MOP 45.72

-43.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$7.34 MOP 59.3

-21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$3.12 MOP 25.18

-51.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.71 MOP 13.78

39.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.72 MOP 13.89

2.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.50 MOP 28.25

-17.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.90 MOP 128

-35.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$19.42 MOP 157

-49.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$29.46 MOP 238

-52.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.58 MOP 20.84

53.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.86 MOP 23.08

-45.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.89 MOP 15.24

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.44 MOP 19.73

-10.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$3.95 MOP 31.94

-50.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.94 MOP 23.74

-45.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.62 MOP 5.00

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.14 MOP 9.21

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.64 MOP 53.7

-40.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$12.16 MOP 98.2

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.78 MOP 14.41

-6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.31 MOP 18.68

-2.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.71 MOP 5.76

64.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$22.93 MOP 185

237.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.66 MOP 21.53

-52.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.24 MOP 9.99

65.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$15.00 MOP 121

-43.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.76 MOP 14.21

-23.30%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$31.1K MOP 251.4K

9.50%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

10.50%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$122 MOP 989

38.66%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$24.02 MOP 194

-43.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$36.91 MOP 298

-23.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$95.6 MOP 772

-54.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$3.64 MOP 29.43

372.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$14.43 MOP 117

-52.11%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,194 MOP 9,646

-33.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$19.4K MOP 156.7K

-53.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$68.8 MOP 556

23.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$33.15 MOP 268

74.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$91.5 MOP 739

47.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$136 MOP 1,095

-27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,095 MOP 8,850

10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,065 MOP 8,605

-39.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

-2.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

-30.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

-57.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

-72.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

-67.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

264.67%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Macao

$1.1K 49.4% 66% $424

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Macao

$424 19.6% 42.7% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Macao

$183 8.5% 13.2% $28

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Macao

$178 8.3% 5.1% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Macao

$148 6.9% 12.4% $21

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Macao

$35 1.6% 63% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Macao

$124 5.8% 116% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,095 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $55 in Macao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $424 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

01:00 1:00 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, 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).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.02 MOP (1 MOP = 0.111 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Macao 16,700 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Macao

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 Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,095 in Macao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $55 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,158 in Macao – Medellin is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Macao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.