Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,418 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Seongnam

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,418 in Seongnam, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Seongnam $1,418

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,361 in Seongnam, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Seongnam $2,361

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,305 in Seongnam, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Seongnam $3,305

Medellin costs about 16% more than Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Seongnam sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Seongnam by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.95 ₩9,271

16.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$41.62 ₩55.5K

13.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.83 ₩9,112

39.09%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.03 ₩5,372

-25.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.56 ₩2,077

15.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.76 ₩1,008

85.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.53 ₩4,709

-9.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.81 ₩5,079

50.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.31 ₩3,081

-34.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.18 ₩4,244

-25.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.71 ₩4,945

-52.29%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.67 ₩4,890

-21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.13 ₩12.2K

11.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.04 ₩10.7K

22.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$20.41 ₩27.2K

-31.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$7.56 ₩10.1K

-47.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$3.56 ₩4,747

-56.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$5.65 ₩7,532

-61.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$6.81 ₩9,088

-67.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.76 ₩5,008

-47.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.62 ₩3,498

-39.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.93 ₩3,911

-60.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.35 ₩1,795

-8.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.48 ₩4,638

13.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$18.94 ₩25.3K

-27.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.10 ₩2,798

-20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.93 ₩2,571

17.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.09 ₩1,452

7.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.65 ₩4,864

-65.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.67 ₩892

205.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.76 ₩11.7K

-2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.39 ₩1,855

-2.88%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$30.0K ₩40.0M

13.64%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$28.1K ₩37.4M

23.55%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$215 ₩286.6K

-21.06%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$36.76 ₩49.0K

-63.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$21.23 ₩28.3K

32.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$55.1 ₩73.4K

-20.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.12 ₩18.8K

21.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.38 ₩15.2K

-39.28%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$379 ₩505.6K

110.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$18.1K ₩24.1M

-49.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$57.7 ₩76.9K

46.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$32.54 ₩43.4K

78.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$71.4 ₩95.2K

89.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$84.4 ₩112.6K

15.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$488 ₩650.4K

147.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$360 ₩480.4K

78.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,158 ₩1.5M

75.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,046 ₩1.4M

-3.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$7,247 ₩9.7M

-42.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,589 ₩7.5M

-65.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.08

168.14%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Seongnam

$360 25.4% 43.8% $281

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Seongnam

$426 30% 43.3% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Seongnam

$273 19.3% 29.2% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Seongnam

$159 11.2% 6.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Seongnam

$111 7.8% 34.5% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 87.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Seongnam

$78 5.5% 35.3% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $488 in Seongnam. 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 $42 in Seongnam. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $426 in Seongnam – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

16:06 4:06 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

967,510

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Seongnam 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,127 in Seongnam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seongnam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $488 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in Seongnam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,418 in Seongnam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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