Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sanya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $773 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
Learn more

Sanya Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sanya

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $773 in Sanya, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Sanya $773

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,244 in Sanya, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Sanya $1,244

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,716 in Sanya, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Sanya $1,716

Medellin costs about 119% more than Sanya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Sanya is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.34 ¥22.25

149.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$22.58 ¥150

106.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$6.23 ¥41.45

52.01%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.12 ¥14.13

47.64%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.52 ¥3.46

240.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.39 ¥2.62

264.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.37 ¥9.14

129.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.77 ¥11.78

222.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$2.11 ¥14.05

-27.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.32 ¥8.81

73.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.57 ¥10.45

23.57%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$1.61 ¥10.72

90.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$22.86 ¥152

-56.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.60 ¥30.60

127.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$11.89 ¥79.1

17.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.31 ¥15.38

75.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.54 ¥10.25

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$2.44 ¥16.23

-13.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.94 ¥12.93

18.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$0.87 ¥5.77

142.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$0.72 ¥4.79

137.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.52 ¥3.45

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.62 ¥4.14

154.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.86 ¥25.70

1.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$7.30 ¥48.62

92.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$0.93 ¥6.19

89.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$1.65 ¥11.00

64.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.31 ¥2.05

280.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$18.40 ¥123

314.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.46 ¥9.72

23.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.33 ¥2.18

545.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.77 ¥38.44

40.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.25 ¥8.35

2.40%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$20.8K ¥138.2K

65.91%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$19.6K ¥130.6K

74.01%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$56.8 ¥378

212.85%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$6.60 ¥43.92

110.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$4.45 ¥29.66

590.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$41.91 ¥279

0.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$14.82 ¥98.7

13.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.53 ¥43.49

14.40%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$463 ¥3,081

70.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$22.9K ¥152.4K

-46.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$43.40 ¥289

98.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$31.94 ¥213

85.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$74.4 ¥495

85.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$80.4 ¥535

22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$282 ¥1,876

376.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$188 ¥1,252

254.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$605 ¥4,028

226.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$375 ¥2,495

175.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$3,234 ¥21.5K

26.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,883 ¥12.5K

3.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$911 ¥6,063

-29.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.36

225.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sanya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Sanya

$188 24.3% 71.8% $479

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Sanya

$251 32.4% 18.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Sanya

$68 8.8% 69.5% $154

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Sanya

$85 11% 50.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Sanya

$104 13.4% 39.9% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sanya

$23 2.9% 75.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Sanya

$55 7.1% 3.4% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $282 in Sanya. 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 41% higher in Sanya, 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 $23 in Sanya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $251 – making Sanya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Sanya

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

17:24 5:24 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,031,396

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sanya 17,230 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sanya

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 Sanya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,159 in Sanya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $23 in Sanya. 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 $773 in Sanya. That makes Sanya about 54% cheaper.

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

For expats, Sanya is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.