Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ongjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongjin: $711 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ongjin
Learn more

Ongjin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ongjin

🇰🇵 North Korea

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ongjin

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $711 in Ongjin, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Ongjin $711

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,113 in Ongjin, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Ongjin $1,113

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,514 in Ongjin, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Ongjin $1,514

Medellin costs about 127% more than Ongjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ongjin is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.71 $2.71

192.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$22.81 $22.81

102.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.04 $8.04

18.16%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.13 $1.13

175.22%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.94 $0.94

94.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.99 $0.99

39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$6.89 $6.89

-55.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.17 $2.17

153.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.91 $0.91

59.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.58 $1.58

49.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.16 $2.16

-22.22%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.13 $3.13

-8.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.47 $4.47

127.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.22 $2.22

329.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$5.64 $5.64

148.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$6.77 $6.77

-39.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$4.57 $4.57

-67.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.25 $2.25

-3.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.21 $2.21

4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$3.26 $3.26

-40.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$3.45 $3.45

-52.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.26 $2.26

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.46 $0.46

171.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.41 $4.41

-9.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.99 $7.99

67.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.10 $1.10

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.21 $2.21

7.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.97 $0.97

24.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$39.70 $39.70

92.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.53 $1.53

-13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.27 $2.27

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$39.99 $39.99

-78.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.70 $0.70

85.71%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$22.1K $22.1K

26.48%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$27.9K $27.9K

27.02%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$33.24 $33.24

417.72%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$11.00 $11.00

21.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$45.10 $45.10

-36.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$41.60 $41.60

8.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$14.47 $14.47

17.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.63 $7.63

-17.69%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$107 $107

623.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,080 $2,080

333.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$22.73 $22.73

280.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$27.97 $27.97

104.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$60.7 $60.7

124.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$84.6 $84.6

15.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$89.7 $89.7

1075.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$87.9 $87.9

600.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,189 $2,189

-13.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$133 $133

668.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,663 $1,663

144.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,376 $1,376

22.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$208 $208

213.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.11

53.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ongjin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ongjin

$88 12.4% 85.7% $528

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ongjin

$226 31.8% 23.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ongjin

$89 12.6% 58.3% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ongjin

$88 12.4% 48.1% $82

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ongjin

$106 14.9% 37.1% $62

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ongjin

$56 8% 39.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ongjin

$57 8% 1.6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $89.7 in Ongjin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 214% higher in Medellin, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $23.00 in Ongjin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $226 – making Ongjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇵 Ongjin

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

17:42 5:42 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

152,878

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ongjin 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ongjin

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 Ongjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,066 in Ongjin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ongjin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $23.00 in Ongjin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $711 in Ongjin. That's a gap of about 127%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ongjin, where all-in costs run around $711, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Ongjin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ongjin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.