Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Quzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quzhou: $701 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Quzhou
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Quzhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Quzhou

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Quzhou

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $701 in Quzhou, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Quzhou $701

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,153 in Quzhou, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Quzhou $1,153

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,606 in Quzhou, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Quzhou $1,606

Medellin costs about 132% more than Quzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Quzhou is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$2.77 ¥18.45

199.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$29.42 ¥196

59.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$4.52 ¥30.17

104.42%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$3.55 ¥23.67

-14.08%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.47 ¥3.16

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$0.29 ¥1.93

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.03 ¥6.88

214.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$3.45 ¥23.04

61.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.74 ¥11.58

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,446

$1.14 ¥7.60

107.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$0.70 ¥4.66

142.86%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$1.65 ¥10.97

79.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$15.10 ¥101

-32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$3.66 ¥24.44

166.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$9.06 ¥60.4

53.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.02 ¥6.83

304.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.55 ¥10.34

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$1.49 ¥9.97

48.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$1.17 ¥7.83

94.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$0.63 ¥4.17

215.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$0.75 ¥5.02

122.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.70 ¥4.65

68.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$0.58 ¥3.87

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$4.61 ¥30.77

-16.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$8.06 ¥53.7

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$0.81 ¥5.39

104.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$1.43 ¥9.57

67.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.31 ¥2.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

$18.24 ¥122

328.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$1.74 ¥11.63

-26.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.34 ¥2.29

532.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$7.04 ¥46.94

18.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.31 ¥8.72

3.05%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$19.5K ¥129.9K

78.47%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.8K ¥118.5K

95.19%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$51.8 ¥346

221.59%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$6.59 ¥43.99

106.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$7.92 ¥52.8

267.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$40.84 ¥272

10.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$15.02 ¥100

14.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$7.74 ¥51.6

-9.95%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$415 ¥2,767

90.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$16.0K ¥106.6K

-43.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$62.4 ¥416

40.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$26.59 ¥177

118.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$61.6 ¥411

125.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$51.7 ¥345

91.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$302 ¥2,012

240.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$179 ¥1,196

245.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$618 ¥4,125

204.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$381 ¥2,542

164.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$3,522 ¥23.5K

13.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,905 ¥12.7K

-10.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$713 ¥4,759

-7.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.18

244.03%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Quzhou: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Quzhou

$179 25.6% 71.1% $440

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Quzhou

$191 27.3% 35.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Quzhou

$66 9.5% 68.3% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Quzhou

$91 13% 47.3% $82

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Quzhou

$93 13.3% 45.3% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Quzhou

$23 3.3% 75.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Quzhou

$56 8% 4.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $302 in Quzhou. 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 8% higher in Quzhou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Quzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $191 – making Quzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Quzhou

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,122,661

💱 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Quzhou 15,800 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Quzhou

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 Quzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 132%, 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 $1,051 in Quzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $302 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Quzhou. 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 $701 in Quzhou. That’s a gap of about 132%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quzhou, where all-in costs run around $701, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Quzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Quzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 132% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.