Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Qinhuangdao

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Qinhuangdao

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $714 in Qinhuangdao, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Qinhuangdao $714

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,135 in Qinhuangdao, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Qinhuangdao $1,135

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,556 in Qinhuangdao, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Qinhuangdao $1,556

Medellin costs about 128% more than Qinhuangdao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$2.76 ¥18.36

200.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$21.79 ¥145

115.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$4.88 ¥32.50

89.34%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$3.04 ¥20.24

0.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.47 ¥3.12

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$0.27 ¥1.78

411.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$0.92 ¥6.15

252.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.13 ¥14.18

161.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.85 ¥12.31

-18.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,447

$1.55 ¥10.33

52.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$0.89 ¥5.92

91.01%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$1.53 ¥10.20

93.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$13.05 ¥86.9

-21.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$3.11 ¥20.71

213.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$10.33 ¥68.8

34.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.87 ¥12.46

120.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.25 ¥8.32

22.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$1.47 ¥9.77

51.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,136

$1.15 ¥7.63

97.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$0.73 ¥4.87

172.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$0.95 ¥6.33

75.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,712

$0.60 ¥3.99

96.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$0.51 ¥3.41

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$3.05 ¥20.32

26.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$10.69 ¥71.2

28.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$0.79 ¥5.25

110.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$1.64 ¥10.89

46.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.27 ¥1.78

359.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 246.0K

$16.97 ¥113

360.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$1.42 ¥9.48

-9.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,748

$0.33 ¥2.18

551.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$6.62 ¥44.04

26.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,253

$1.14 ¥7.58

18.42%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$19.2K ¥127.8K

81.02%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.1K ¥113.8K

102.85%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$44.64 ¥297

273.32%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$9.87 ¥65.7

37.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$11.90 ¥79.2

144.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$42.14 ¥281

7.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$14.09 ¥93.8

21.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$5.79 ¥38.55

20.38%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$337 ¥2,244

134.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$17.2K ¥114.2K

-47.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$44.18 ¥294

98.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$30.35 ¥202

91.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$71.8 ¥478

93.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$70.6 ¥470

39.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$276 ¥1,835

273.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$191 ¥1,272

224.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$601 ¥3,998

213.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$362 ¥2,413

178.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$3,063 ¥20.4K

30.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,068 ¥13.8K

-17.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.89

181.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8% 69.2% $428

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9% 33.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3% 68.3% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7% 43.5% $75

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9% 50.2% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Qinhuangdao

$21 3% 77.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5% 9% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $276 in Qinhuangdao. 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 $22 in Qinhuangdao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $199 – making Qinhuangdao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

04:11 4:11 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,987,605

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,521 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Qinhuangdao 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Qinhuangdao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,071 in Qinhuangdao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qinhuangdao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $276 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Qinhuangdao. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $714 in Qinhuangdao. That’s a gap of about 128%.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Qinhuangdao, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Qinhuangdao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Qinhuangdao is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 128% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.