Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nha Trang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nha Trang: $679 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Nha Trang, Vietnam
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Nha Trang
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$679
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nha Trang

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $679 in Nha Trang, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Nha Trang $679

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,127 in Nha Trang, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Nha Trang $1,127

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,575 in Nha Trang, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Nha Trang $1,575

Medellin costs about 141% more than Nha Trang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Nha Trang is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$2.65 ₫68.3K
205.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$23.30 ₫601.1K
101.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$4.59 ₫118.4K
106.97%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$1.70 ₫43.7K
77.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$0.37 ₫9,525
386.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$0.21 ₫5,409
571.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$0.63 ₫16.3K
404.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$1.22 ₫31.4K
371.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$1.48 ₫38.2K
2.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$0.44 ₫11.5K
440.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$1.01 ₫26.0K
75.25%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$1.44 ₫37.2K
100.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$11.91 ₫307.4K
-14.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$3.02 ₫78.0K
226.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$11.14 ₫287.5K
25.58%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.98 ₫51.2K
100.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$0.82 ₫21.2K
89.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$1.07 ₫27.6K
103.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$1.19 ₫30.7K
83.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$0.76 ₫19.7K
157.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$0.67 ₫17.4K
137.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$0.75 ₫19.3K
53.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.42 ₫10.8K
195.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$1.51 ₫38.9K
162.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$11.55 ₫298.1K
18.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$0.57 ₫14.8K
191.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$1.80 ₫46.5K
25.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$0.30 ₫7,630
290.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$0.61 ₫15.7K
108.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$0.55 ₫14.2K
272.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$0.92 ₫23.7K
46.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$31.1K ₫801.9M
9.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$27.6K ₫713.2M
25.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$75.8 ₫2.0M
123.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$6.60 ₫170.3K
105.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$9.16 ₫236.5K
206.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$21.95 ₫566.2K
99.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$18.03 ₫465.1K
-4.66%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$1.95 ₫50.4K
254.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$214 ₫5.5M
272.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$3,930 ₫101.4M
131.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$41.01 ₫1.1M
106.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$48.97 ₫1.3M
175.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$409 ₫10.6M
195.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$274 ₫7.1M
134.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$762 ₫19.7M
166.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$653 ₫16.8M
55.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$2,795 ₫72.1M
49.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$1,517 ₫39.1M
25.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Nha Trang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$301 ₫7.8M
118.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
0
-

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nha Trang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Nha Trang
$274 57.3% $368
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Nha Trang
$180 39.5% $117
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Nha Trang
$92 56.7% $120
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Nha Trang
$63 62.7% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Nha Trang
$40 * 76% $128
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Nha Trang
$4.6 * 95.1% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Nha Trang
$26 55.1% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $409 in Nha Trang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $23 in Nha Trang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $180 – making Nha Trang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇻🇳 Nha Trang
🕒 Local time
20:03 8:03 PM
08:03 8:03 AM
12 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
579,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Nha Trang 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Nha Trang

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 Nha Trang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nha Trang cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,019 in Nha Trang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nha Trang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Nha Trang?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $23 in Nha Trang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Nha Trang?
Groceries cost about 65% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Nha Trang?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nha Trang, where all-in costs run around $679, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Nha Trang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Nha Trang more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nha Trang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nha Trang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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