Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ninh Binh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ninh Binh: $727 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ninh Binh
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Ninh Binh Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Ninh Binh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ninh Binh

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $727 in Ninh Binh, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Ninh Binh $727

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,162 in Ninh Binh, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Ninh Binh $1,162

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,598 in Ninh Binh, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Ninh Binh $1,598

Medellin costs about 133% more than Ninh Binh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Ninh Binh is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$1.94 ₫50.0K

329.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$20.91 ₫538.6K

122.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$4.66 ₫120.2K

103.22%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.71 ₫44.1K

83.04%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.51 ₫13.0K

247.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.30 ₫7,834

373.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$0.97 ₫25.1K

224.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.50 ₫38.6K

280.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.37 ₫35.3K

11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.97 ₫24.9K

136.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.00 ₫25.8K

94.00%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.40 ₫36.0K

119.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$11.61 ₫299.2K

-13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.69 ₫94.9K

183.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$9.71 ₫250.2K

43.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.70 ₫69.5K

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.06 ₫27.4K

44.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.30 ₫33.6K

61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.08 ₫27.9K

112.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.02 ₫26.3K

106.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.06 ₫27.2K

61.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.64 ₫16.6K

82.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.49 ₫12.5K

222.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.37 ₫35.3K

185.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$11.29 ₫290.9K

24.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.75 ₫19.3K

134.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.59 ₫41.0K

70.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.35 ₫8,905

237.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$6.51 ₫167.8K

1071.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.70 ₫18.1K

158.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.66 ₫16.9K

222.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$2.72 ₫70.1K

198.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.84 ₫21.6K

52.38%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$34.7K ₫892.7M

-0.62%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$31.8K ₫818.2M

7.47%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$74.4 ₫1.9M

138.98%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$5.83 ₫150.1K

138.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$8.89 ₫229.1K

245.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$22.02 ₫567.1K

90.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$7.69 ₫198.2K

118.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$3.13 ₫80.7K

138.66%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$264 ₫6.8M

198.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$11.5K ₫295.7M

7.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$41.22 ₫1.1M

109.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$23.57 ₫607.3K

151.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$87.6 ₫2.3M

57.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$75.9 ₫2.0M

30.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$353 ₫9.1M

279.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$245 ₫6.3M

172.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$723 ₫18.6M

173.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$528 ₫13.6M

95.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,092 ₫53.9M

95.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,220 ₫31.4M

58.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.1

20.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ninh Binh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Ninh Binh

$245 33.7% 63.3% $422

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Ninh Binh

$189 26% 38.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Ninh Binh

$89 12.3% 59.9% $133

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Ninh Binh

$61 8.4% 64.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Ninh Binh

$103 14.1% 40.4% $70

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Ninh Binh

$12 1.6% 87.3% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Ninh Binh

$28 3.9% 50.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $353 in Ninh Binh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $21 in Ninh Binh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $189 – making Ninh Binh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Ninh Binh

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

08:50 8:50 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

148,406

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Ninh Binh 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ninh Binh

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 Ninh Binh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,091 in Ninh Binh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ninh Binh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $353 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $21 in Ninh Binh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $727 in Ninh Binh. That makes Ninh Binh about 57% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ninh Binh, where all-in costs run around $727, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Ninh Binh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ninh Binh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Ninh Binh is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 57% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.