Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Seoul

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,848 in Seoul, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Seoul $1,848

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,986 in Seoul, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Seoul $2,986

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,125 in Seoul, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Seoul $4,125

Medellin is about 11% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Seoul sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Seoul by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.05 ₩12.1K

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$68.3 ₩91.2K

-31.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.35 ₩9,812

29.25%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.12 ₩5,498

-26.94%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.64 ₩2,195

9.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.81 ₩1,077

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.71 ₩4,952

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.13 ₩8,188

-6.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.04 ₩2,726

-25.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.21 ₩4,286

-25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$4.39 ₩5,858

-59.68%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.59 ₩4,795

-19.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$18.23 ₩24.3K

-44.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$10.51 ₩14.0K

-6.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$26.89 ₩35.9K

-47.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-49.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$3.53 ₩4,712

-56.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$5.70 ₩7,616

-61.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$6.18 ₩8,249

-64.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$3.76 ₩5,024

-47.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.51 ₩3,354

-36.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.82 ₩3,758

-59.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.11 ₩1,482

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.30 ₩4,406

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$18.64 ₩24.9K

-26.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.42 ₩3,229

-31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.36 ₩4,483

-32.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.19 ₩1,591

-1.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$46.13 ₩61.6K

67.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.55 ₩4,742

-64.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.60 ₩806

241.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.08 ₩12.1K

-5.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.44 ₩1,920

-6.25%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$30.3K ₩40.4M

12.56%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$28.9K ₩38.6M

19.99%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$213 ₩283.7K

-20.18%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$35.83 ₩47.8K

-62.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$21.39 ₩28.6K

31.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$61.6 ₩82.3K

-29.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$16.41 ₩21.9K

4.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.42 ₩15.2K

-39.49%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-59.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$22.8K ₩30.4M

-59.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$59.8 ₩79.8K

41.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$34.19 ₩45.7K

69.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$66.0 ₩88.1K

104.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$81.9 ₩109.3K

19.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$924 ₩1.2M

30.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$659 ₩880.0K

-2.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,012 ₩4.0M

-32.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,440 ₩1.9M

-29.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$27.2K ₩36.3M

-84.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$11.3K ₩15.1M

-83.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,570 ₩4.8M

-81.59%

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 Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Seoul

$659 35.7% 2.7% $18

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Seoul

$483 26.2% 62.8% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Seoul

$270 14.6% 27.7% $58

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Seoul

$184 10% 8.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Seoul

$109 5.9% 35.6% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 38.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Seoul

$84 4.6% 46.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $924 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seoul are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $68 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $483 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

06:59 6:59 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Seoul 14,610 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Seoul

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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,771 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $924 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $68 in Seoul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,848 in Seoul. That makes Medellin about 11% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,848 in Seoul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,848 in Seoul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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